


Angels Made of Metal

by Pisces_Dreams



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga, 殺戮の天使 | Satsuriku no Tenshi (Video Game), 殺戮の天使 | Satsuriku no Tenshi | Angels of Death (Anime), 殺戮の天使 | Satsuriku no Tenshi | Angels of Death (Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Blood and Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, Crossover, Danny acts weird but let's be real he's weird in canon, Danny goes from being weird to being creepy, Edward Elric Swears, Edward Elric will smack a bitch, Friendship, Gen, Humor, I don't know how to tag this, I'll fix the tags as I go, Just when you think they may get along, Mystery, No Romance, Psyche- they won't, Rachel gets a big brother in the form of Edward Elric, Rachel is tired of it already, Swearing, Zack and Ed can't get along, Zack swearing, Zack's an idiot, bonding?, but things are definitely different with Ed thrown into it, i'm following the game for story, in this place?, like really different, more likely than you think, they won't admit it though, you'll see - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2019-10-31 08:49:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 24,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17846249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pisces_Dreams/pseuds/Pisces_Dreams
Summary: Set two years after the Promised Day; Edward Elric has seen lots of things during his travels, but he knows he's seen nothing yet when he wakes up in the basement of a strange building. He forms new friendships as he braves through each floor, armed with just his wits, an intelligent but dead-eyed girl, and the dumbest serial killer he's ever met.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story contains; foul language, violence, blood/gore.
> 
> Ships: None(for now, subject to change- no Zack x Ray)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Angels of Death or Fullmetal Alchemist.
> 
> Posting this here now, also posted on FF.Net.

* * *

_**Chapter 1** _

Edward groaned softly as he slowly awakened, his groggy eyes fluttering open to reveal a dark room. He lifted his head, hissing softly as the movement in his neck felt stiff. He brought a hand up to rub the back of his sore neck, and as his awareness returned, he took notice that he was seated on a wooden chair.

"Al?" He called out, voice raspy. He suddenly grew aware of how thirsty he was. He licked his lips, and stood up steadily, taking a quick look around the room for anything familiar. The room was small and plain, with the only light coming from a window directly behind his chair, sending pale blue moon light into the room.

"This definitely isn't home…" Ed mused and frowned, his brows furrowing. Running a hand through his golden hair, he tried to recall something, anything... but all he remembered was settling down on his train to Resembool to take a nap.

 _Wait, no._ He paused. _I… I faintly remember… something._ Try as he might, he couldn't unearth the memory from the far reaches of his mind without his head starting to throb.

Leaving it alone for now, Ed turned to the moon in the window, staring at it, and he couldn't help but find it looked fake somehow. The room itself felt sterile and… wrong. Something seemed out of place to him and it was hard to place what it was. His frown deepened, and he turned around, approaching the door, seeing as it was all that was there for him.

It creaked open quietly, and he peaked out, letting his eyebrows raise. The hall he walked into felt wrong as well, when by all means it just looked like an ordinary hallway. His eyes traveled up the walls, squinting to find what was-

_Oh._

Objects lined the ceiling, looking like incredibly small cameras judging by the lenses on them. He stared. It looked like if he were to take one, it would fit perfectly in the palm of his hands. He'd never seen a camera like those before.

"…Huh." He breathed out softly, just as the door across from him opened. He blinked in surprise as a young girl stared up at him, equally surprised. She was blonde, with her long hair trailing down her back, and blue eyes filled with concern stared at him.

Ed next noticed her expression change to an odd look as she regarded him, as if he looked strange to her. He also saw the cautious glint in her eyes and posture, judging by how her petite frame tensed up at the sight of him.

"Who are you?" She asked softly, staring up at Ed. She held the door somewhat in front of her as a form or protection and gripped the handle slung over her shoulder.

"I'm Edward Elric." He said, offering her a small smile. She couldn't be anymore than eleven, judging by her youthful appearance, and he didn't want to frighten her. "And you are?"

She seemed to relax at his calming smile, relaxing her grip on the handle of her bag. "Rachel Gardner." She introduced herself.

"Where are your parents?" Ed asked, raising his eyebrows at her. She glanced away in response, her shoulders hunched up.

"I… I don't know." Rachel answerd softly, and before Ed could reply, she continued. "Do you know where we are, Mr. Elric?" She then asked, looking at him and tilting her head.

At that, Ed frowned. He didn't have the slightest clue for where he was. Not wanting to lie to her, he shook his head. Rachel frowned, and not wanting to upset her, he quickly spoke up. "But, I bet we'll figure out where we are if we continue down the hall." He said, and then smiled. "And you don't have to call me mister. Ed is just fine with me."

Rachel quietly nodded, and the two walked beside each other down the hall, finding only one door, and a message scrawled on the wall. The duo looked at the words curiously, and Rachel stepped forward to read them, running her hand across the cool wall.

_"Who really are you?_

_You should ask yourself._

_Who am I?_

_The real myself or the one I believe to be?_

_An angel? Or a sacrifice?_

_Know yourself and new doors will open."_

"Well, that certainly lightened up the mood." Ed said sarcastically, causing Rachel to giggle lightly. He smiled at her as she turned to look at him, and he pulled the door open as he gestured to her. "Ladies first."

He followed her as she set foot into the room, spotting a single typewriter before a wall of mirrors, and an elevator to Ed's right.

"It just looks like us." Rachel noted, nodding to the mirror. Ed nods in agreement, staring at his reflection for a moment as the message on the wall repeated in his head.

 _"Who am I? …"An angel or a sacrifice"… this is weird...,_ Ed mused to himself. The blondes approached the typewriter, with Rachel regarding it curiously.

"What's this doing here?" She asked softly, with Ed stopping beside her. The two jolted as the contraption suddenly sprung to life, quickly typing out words for the duo to read.

"How the hell is it doing that?" Ed exclaimed, pointing at the device as his eyes widened. _Alchemy? No, alchemy can't do something like that. Can it?_ Ed stared as it stopped, letting his eyes roam over the page.

_**WHAT IS YOUR NAME?** _

Silence stretched between the two, with blue eyes meeting gold in confusion. Rachel then steeled herself, looking at the paper as she gripped the handle of her bag.

"Rachel Gardner." She said slowly. Tapping filled the air.

**_HOW OLD ARE YOU?_ **

"Thirteen." Ed looked at her, mildly surprised. A bit older than he expected.

**_WHY ARE YOU HERE?_ **

Rachel bit her lip. "I was at a hospital, and suddenly I was here." She said softly.

**_WHY?_ **

At that, the girl seemed taken aback. Ed frowned a bit, looking at her in concern as the silence went on.

"Rachel-?" He asked softly, when the typing continued.

_**WHY?** _

_**WHY?** _

_**WHY THE HOSPITAL?** _

She took a frightened step back, and Ed carefully laid his hand on her shoulder to steady her. Rachel, frowning, lowered her gaze to the floor.

"I… I saw someone die… murdered, right in front of me... So I was brought in for counseling." She answered, her voice so soft and sad. Ed felt his heart clench. _How awful…_

**_WHAT WILL YOU DO NOW?_ **

Rachel continued. "I want to get out of this place, and go home to my mom and dad." She said, staring at the typewriter now.

**_AND YOU._ **

"Me?" Ed spoke up, feeling his shoulders tense.

**_WHAT IS YOUR NAME?_ **

Ed paused, his mind trying to comprehend the pieces to the puzzle he was given. _So, it basically wants the same information. Why?_ He didn't like it one bit, but it seemed necessary to continue.

"Edward Elric."

_**HOW OLD ARE YOU?** _

"Eighteen." He noticed Rachel look at him in surprise in the corner of his eye.

**_WHY ARE YOU HERE?_ **

"I don't know." Ed answered, frowning. "I remember getting onto a train and taking a nap, and suddenly I'm here."

**_WHERE TO?_ **

Ed narrowed his eyes a bit. "None of your business." He said bluntly, crossing his arms now. The typewriter seemed to pause, and Ed could imagine the bastard behind this not being pleased with his evasiveness. He smirked at the thought. It continued.

_**WHAT WILL YOU DO NOW?** _

"Get out of here and go home." He answered simply, and Rachel nodded in agreement.

Beside them, Ed heard a heavy clank, followed by metal doors sliding open as warm light steamed out. Ed and Rachel turned to look, seeing that the elevator was now open. The two shared a look, before they both ventured into the elevator. Ed took notice of speakers mounted in the corners, which came to life as they set foot into the space.

 _"The two on the bottom level have been confirmed as sacrifices. All floors; please begin your preparations at once."_ An automated, female voice came through, and it's words made Ed's blood run cold.

_Sacrifices? Oh, HELL no._

Ed grabbed Rachel's wrist as he turned to bolt out of the elevator, only for the doors to close in his face.

"Damnit!" Ed said, scowling as he let go of Rachel's have to punch the door. He couldn't believe it. He was a sacrifice, _again_ , but this time here he was with a little girl who was also to be a sacrifice? _What kind of religious nut jobs-_

"Ed?" Rachel spoke up, shaking him from his thoughts. She was gripping her bag's handle tightly, knuckles white from the pressure. "What did that voice mean by sacrifices?" She asked, staring at him.

Ed stared, unsure of what to say to her. He could see how scared Rachel was. He had a good idea what it meant, but how could he tell her? Here she was, an innocent little kid in a possible life or death situation. Sure, he'd seen lots of scarring things by the time he was thirteen, but this felt so much different from what he's seen before. He had to comfort her somehow…

_Say something, idiot!_

Ed licked his suddenly dry lips, inhaled deeply, and exhaled slowly. "I-" The elevator jolted, startling them both. Ed stepped back as the doors opened slowly. The automated voice returned;

_ "You're now entering; the play area." _


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ed and Rachel arrive on Floor B6 and get their first taste of what kind of obstacles lie before them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Angels of Death or Fullmetal Alchemist.

 

* * *

_**Chapter 2** _

Silence stretched between the duo as they stared at what laid ahead of them. To Ed's confusion, it looked kind of like a street, with rundown brick buildings and a sidewalk. He took a step forward, his eyes trailing up, and he took notice of pipes in the heavy darkness above them, indicating a ceiling. He frowned.

"Okay, unfortunately we're not outside." Ed said, turning to look at Rachel. She frowned, stepping forward as well and leaving the elevator. Ed stepped out beside her.

Seeming to sense that it was now empty, the elevator closes with a loud  _thunk!_ , and to Ed, it sounded like a death sentence. He gritted his teeth, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. He didn't like this at all.

"Ed?" Rachel spoke up, looking at him and bringing him back to reality. "We should get moving." She said softly. Her shoulders were tense, and a bead of sweat trailed down her cheek. Her nervousness was clear as day in her eyes.

"Right." Ed said, and he turned, walking down the street- hallway?- with Rachel by his side. They walked in silence for a long time, the streets and walls all looking the same to Ed.

"What's that?" Rachel asked, her voice drawing his attention as she stopped to point. He followed her gaze, and blinked in surprise It looked to be a newspaper clipping, attached to the wall by flimsy tape. Ed furrowed his brows together and leaned forward to read it. Some words were crossed out, but he was able to read it just fine.

" _'A… Reckless Murder.'_ " Ed read out loud, pausing as he noticed Rachel tense beside him. His eyes skimmed over the rest as he read. " _'On… some day, the body of a man was found in some city in some state. The body has gaping wounds seemingly inflicted by a sharp blade… authorities are treating it as a murder.'_ "

"Oh dear." Rachel whispered, her gaze wandering as she looked at the walls around them.

Ed continued. " _'Since last month, a string of similar murders have taken place in the state. No association or similarities have been drawn with the victims, so nearby residents are asked to exercise caution.'_ "

Silence.

"Gee, that was reassuring." Ed mumbled sarcastically, turning to look at Rachel.

Rachel appeared to be lost in thought. "An article about a murder…" She mused.

Ed, not wanting her to think too much in it, took her hand and began walking again. He could see that there was something different ahead of them, and he found it a bit of a relief.

That was until he saw red stains.

Ed stopped, frozen to the spot as he and Rachel stare at what lies before then. A section of the wall was blocked off by barricades, and blood splatters stained the ground and bricks.

"Blood?" Rachel whispered and gripped Ed's hand, causing a switch in his mind to click.

_Sacrifices… that newspaper clipping… and now blood… that murderer's on this fucking floor!_

"Rachel-" He started to speak, when suddenly, a bird chirped from nearby.  _A bird?_ _In a place like this?_

The blondes turned to look, and sure enough, a small white dove sat nestled in a hole in the wall, picking at what appeared to be blood on it's wing.

"A bird..." Rachel said, moving forward before Ed could stop her, and she picked up the bird carefully.

"Rachel!" Ed said, frowning. "Put the bird back!" He knew better than to trust like that.

"But it's hurt." She replied, turning to look at Ed as she cradled the little bird in her hands. "We can't leave it here."

"We're going to have to. Put it back." Ed said a bit more sternly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"But Ed, it's hurt!" She retorted, holding the bird close to her chest protectively.

_Oh no, she's like Al when it comes to cats-_

"Rachel, I'm not going to repeat myself." Ed said, shooting her a look. It was the same, disapproving look he'd give Al for trying to bring cats home years ago, and he hoped it would work here.

Just as it seemed to do the trick, the bird became startled, and it hopped from her hands to the floor, trying to move away from her. She gasped, her eyes widening, before she followed after it. "Wait, birdie, come back!"

"Rachel!" Ed called, exasperated, and he hurried after her. "We don't have time for this!"

The bird stopped in front of a building with a boarded up door, and Rachel bent down. "Come here, birdie… let me put you back." She called out softly.

The bird chirped, staring up at her, and Ed slowed to a stop a few paces behind her. Something felt wrong.

"Don't be scared, okay?" Rachel cooed to the bird, smiling as she held her hand out for it.

Something  _really_  felt wrong.

"Rachel-"

_Shing!_

An explosion of wood showered over her as the wooden boards were broken. Blood splattered onto the poor girl, and bloodied feathers flew into the air.

Ed felt frozen as suddenly a man was standing before them, armed with a large scythe. The man threw his head back and laughed maniacally, sending a chill down Ed's spine. The maniac appeared to be bandaged under his blood stained brown sweater, Ed noticed, hiding almost every feature about himself under the gauze.

The man spoke, his gleeful voice echoing through the halls. "Ya looked pretty happy for a second there! But now, all I see is despair."

Rachel gaped at him, shock and horror keeping her rooted to the spot. Ed shook himself into motion and dashed to her side, gripping her hand, but he stilled as the mad man lifted up his hand, showing three of his fingers.

"I'll give ya three seconds. How fast can ya run?" He asked, and then bent down quickly, staring straight into their eyes. "And be sure to cry, scream, and beg for ya life!"

His manic grin stretched impossibly wide, and Ed swore he saw red in those deranged eyes. "Let me see more of that despair on your face!" He practically shouted at them.

"ONE!"

Ed immediately felt adrenaline rush through his veins, and he wasted no time in pulling Rachel to her feet. "Come on!" He shouted, pulling her with him as he fled down a long corridor. She stumbled a bit, but managed to keep up with him just fine.

"TWO!"

The maniac's voice echoed through the halls around them, and Ed put more effort into his sprint, trying to put as much space as he could between them.

"THREE!"

Laughter filled the air as heavy footsteps bounded after them, and Ed quickly pulled Rachel around a corner. His eyes landed on a door, and he grabbed the door knob. He twisted it quickly, and relief washed over him upon seeing it was unlocked. Ed barreled through the door, tugging Rachel in with him, and he slammed it closed. He turned, barely registering the small pantry they found themselves in as he searched for a hiding spot. He spotted a box, and could tell immediately it would only fit one. Ed sped forward, opening it, and he helped Rachel get in.

"But what about you?" She whispered, staring at him frightfully as she bent down. Blood stained her pale skin and there were specks on her clothes.

"I'll find another spot." He reassured her, and then quietly closed the lid. The laughter was coming closer.

Ed turned around, quickly assessing the room, and he cursed upon seeing there was no other place to hide. It would spell his death if he left, and it would bring harm to Rachel if he left her there alone. He was running out of ideas when he spotted a lead pipe by the sink. Ed suddenly grinned, and he quickly grabbed it from it's perch.

_Now this is what I'm talking about…_ Ed gripped the pipe in his hand, moving behind the door and pressing his body up against the wall as best as he could to avoid detection. Footsteps approached the door from outside as he prepared himself.  _You can do this..._

Edward Elric wasn't going down without a fight.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ed's confrontation with the killer is short but certainly leaves an impression on him, while he and Rachel escape floor B6. Ed makes a promise with Rachel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little unsure with this one if I've made them too OOC. May rewrite it in the future.

* * *

_**Chapter 3** _

_Swing_ _! Crack!_

A black blade stained with dried blood pierced through the wooden door beside Ed, causing him to flinch and press himself further up against the wall. The blade then retracted, and Ed spotted the maniac's wide, golden eye peak through the hole he had made, and Ed worried for a second that he saw him. The maniac grinned, moved back, and suddenly the door aggressively swung open with a kick, his form moving into the building. He kept his back to Ed as he ventured further in, thankfully unaware.

_Perfect_.

Ed wasted no time and lunged forward, swinging the pipe as hard as he could and hitting the back of the maniac's red clad legs. The man grunted loudly and fell to his knees, dropping his scythe in the fall, and Ed then jumped onto him to push him to the floor.

"What the fuck-?!" The maniac cried out in anger as Ed pushed one of his hands against the floor and held the other behind his back. He kept his grip tight and did his best to hold his perch on the maniac's back as he struggled aggressively.

"Rachel!" Ed shouted, causing her to pop her head out of the box. Her eyes bulged out in alarm at the scene before her. "Get out of there and go find the exit! I'll deal with this asshole!"

She nodded mutely, and quickly removed herself from the box. The maniac seemed to writhe more, growling out lowly from the back of his throat. Ed struggled to keep his grip on him- he was much stronger than he looked.

"You piece of shit!" He snarled, his eyes locked onto Rachel as she fled from the room. "I'll fucking kill ya!"

Ed, making sure Rachel was a good distance away first, tightened his grip on the maniac's wrist as he looked for where he dropped his pipe- and grit his teeth upon seeing he had flung it halfway across the room. "Dammit." He whispered.

Just then, the maniac shifted and managed to push himself up, sending Ed tumbling to the floor, and he made to get to his feet. Ed, feeling his adrenaline rising, lunged for the pipe and scrambled to his feet, just as the maniac stood, scythe in hand.

Ed gritted his teeth and made his way to the door, never once turning away from the maniac. The man turned to him, anger blazing in his eyes, and he made a mad dash for Ed, lifting his scythe up.

"Hold still, ya little shit!" He screeched, voice raising in pitch, and he swung his scythe down in a vertical slice. Ed dodged by leaping to the right, simultaneously striking the killer's arm with his pipe. As the man cursed in pain, Ed used the opening and cracked the pipe against the back of the man's knees, once again sending him down to the floor. Ed, seeing his chance, bolted from the building, quickly getting a head start as he raced down the street. The lead pipe clattered to the ground behind him in his haste to escape.

It didn't take too long until Ed caught up with Rachel, finding her just where they first encountered the killer, but he knew they didn't have long.

"Rachel, c'mon!" He exclaimed as she stood, and he took her hand as he sped past, pulling her along with him.

"Where's that… that thing?" She asked, gripping his hand to keep her hand from slipping. Fear laced her small voice.

"He's back there stunned, but not for long!" He shouted, panting softly. "He's gonna catch up with us any minute now!"

The two ran through twisted hallways, blood pumping in their ears and hearts ready to burst, when finally, Ed felt his chest become lighter with relief.

"There!" He slowed his pace as he noticed Rachel breathing heavily beside him. "There's an elevator! We made it!" He said, smiling at her.

The ghost of a smile graced Rachel's lips. Sweat beaded at her forehead and rolled down her face, and she looked exhausted from the amount of running they went through. "Thank goodness."

Ed gave Rachel's hand a squeeze, and the two stepped forward.

"FOUND YOU!"

Ed felt his body freeze alongside Rachel as an ear piercing laugh broke the air around them. Cautiously, he turned to face the maniac. Scythe slung across his shoulders, the man meandered towards them, hood covering his eyes. That psychotic grin had returned, but when he lifted his head, Ed could see the anger blazing in his eyes, locked directly on him.

"This time, I'm not even gonna give you twerps one second!" The man cried out in glee, charging at them fiercely. Ed wasted no time in sprinting forward, tugging Rachel behind him- the poor girl stumbled, almost like a rag doll as her sluggish body tried to keep up.

The elevator came closer, and Ed almost cried out in relief when his hand slammed against the button, the chime ringing out like an angel choir, and the doors slid open as if welcoming him into an embrace. Ed and Rachel quickly moved inside, and Rachel took to pressing the button to make the doors close.

They wouldn't budge.

"What the hell?!" Ed backed up as the laughing maniac came closer, eyes glaring holes into Ed's head. Rachel's button pressing became more insistent.

"Come on, please close! Please!" She whimpered, and the maniac lifted his scythe as he jumped, grin wide and ready to sink his blade into their flesh, to tear them limb from limb-

The doors closed with a thunk, and dented under the pressure of the man hitting it. Another dent quickly followed, and then silence.

Ed and Rachel stared in disbelief as the elevator dinged, and began to ascend.

Rachel fell to her knees, panting softly. "What… was that?" Her voice whispered.

Ed stared at the doors, his mind racing as he let his eyes drift to her. Her skin was paler than before, and her wide eyes held only fear as her body quivered like a leaf. He felt a tug at his heart, picturing the times where Al would have a nightmare and come to him with that same look in his eyes, and in his mind, Rachel almost began to merge with that image.

An urge to protect washed over him suddenly, and Ed knelt beside Rachel, his hand gripping her shoulder and squeezing reassuringly. She looked at him, tears gathered at the corners of her eyes.

_A_   _child like her shouldn't be going through this kind of hell._

"Ed?"

"Just listen for a sec, alright?" He spoke quietly, but with purpose, making sure all of her attention was on him. "There's no doubt in my mind that this place is dangerous, but I  _promise_  I'll make sure that nothing in this building will hurt you. I'll get you back to your parents alive and well. Got it?"

Rachel stared, her rigid body relaxing gradually. A single tear descended her cheek, and she sniffed softly, smiling gently.

"Okay."

They rested together on the floor for a few moments in silence, regaining whatever energy they could, when the elevator halted once more with a loud  _ding_.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arriving on floor B5, Ed and Rachel meet with Daniel Dickens; a so-called doctor who somehow knows Rachel, much to Ed's suspicion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A guest on FF.Net wished for longer chapters so this one is the longest so far. I'm aiming to make chapters longer from now on as well.
> 
> This fic is now also caught up with the chapters I have released on FF.Net so both will be updated when I have the time. I don't have a set schedule for how I update things but I generally try to aim between one to two weeks!

* * *

* * *

**_Chapter 4_ **

The elevator doors opened once more, and Ed lifted his head, gazing at the area ahead of them. As the sight registered in his brain, he balked at the familiarity of it.

_A hospital?_

Taking Rachel's hand, Ed stood and pulled her to her feet, the two venturing out of their safe haven to check out the new floor. It looked exactly like a hospital waiting room, something Ed's seen a lot of in his life.

"This place just got weirder." He commented, scratching his cheek.

Rachel pulled on Ed's sleeve to get his attention, frowning at the wall behind them.

"What is it?"

"Look, Ed." She pointed at the letter and number painted on the wall beside the elevator doors, "We're only on B5."

Ed cursed under his breath, scowling a bit. "I hate this place." He says, and he set off on their journey once again, pulling Rachel with him. She followed behind willingly, not wanting to stay longer than she had to.

The two left the waiting room and ventured through a long hallway, silence filling the air between them. It stayed that way for a few minutes, only to be broken by a third set of footsteps. Ed felt his body tense up, and he hastened his pace as his heart began to race. He exchanged a look with Rachel, who seemed to be thinking the same thing as him, nodding in his direction. The two shifted into a full on sprint together, and Ed heard whoever it was behind them change their pace to keep up.

Ed felt himself jerk back as Rachel gasped, and he turned around quickly to see a doctor holding Rachel's hand, preventing her from going any further. The newcomer panted, catching his breath as he smiled.

"Don't be scared! Rachel, it's me." He said, and Ed paused, honestly shocked that this man seemed to know Rachel.

"You know her?" He asked incredulously, an eyebrow raised. The doctor reacted as if he just noticed Ed was there, blinking at him as if he just appeared out of nowhere.

Rachel pulled her hand away from him and retreated behind Ed, gripping his arm as she hid. The doctor, for a brief second, looked displeased, before a pleasant smile graced his features.

"Ah, forgive me! Perhaps I acted a bit rash... My name is Daniel Dickens." He said, holding a hand to his heart as if his words came straight from there. "I'm Rachel's doctor."

Rachel started at that, gripping Ed's arm tighter as she gasped softly. "You... are?" She sounded surprised as she took a step forward.

Ed quickly took hold of Rachel's hand once more, staring intensely at Daniel. The man looked young, professional, and clean. Someone you would trust. But Ed just couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with this doctor.

Daniel seemed to notice the tension brewing, and started to speak again. "Yes, Rachel, I'm your doctor. Remember? You tend to call me Doctor Danny." He spoke smoothly, his smile perfectly in place.

Rachel relaxed beside Ed, pulling her hand away as she nodded. "Right... yes, I remember." She said, her voice quiet. "You're my therapist."

Daniel reached into his pocket and retrieved a handkerchief, leaning forward and using it to wipe the blood away from her cheek, taking the moment to look her face over for wounds. Ed resisted the urge to smack his hands away.

He really didn't like this guy.

"So, Rachel, who's your new companion?" Daniel asked, now paying fully attention to Ed as he turned his gaze on him. Ed took notice of how the doctor's eyes locked onto his own, and didn't fail to see the spark of interest that flared up.

"Oh, this is-"

"Edward." Ed spoke harshly, glaring up at Daniel. Rachel blinked at how rigid his form was and frowned a bit, her small brows furrowing in confusion. Ed continued. "Just call me Edward."

Daniel smiled his perfect little smile, closing his eyes, and he returned the handkerchief to his pocket. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Edward. Hopefully we can get along together, yeah?"

"...Sure." Ed replied, turning his head away. He automatically took Rachel's hand, tugging her with him as he step off down the hallway. Daniel fell in step behind them despite Ed's internal wishes that he'd disappear. Something about the doctor rubbed Ed wrong in an almost familiar way, but he couldn't quite place it.

"What are you doing in this place, doctor?" Rachel asked quietly, glancing at the the doctor from over her shoulder. It was a bit awkward, but Edward seemed upset and she didn't want to aggravate him.

"Ah, I was waiting for you. I knew you'd make it here so we could escape together." Daniel replied, smiling down at Rachel.

Ed stopped at his words, causing the other two to pause as well, and they looked at him curiously.

"Ed?" Rachel asked tentatively, squeezing his hand.

"What do you mean, waiting?" Ed asked, whipping around as he pushed Rachel behind him. Daniel appeared surprised by the sudden movement, before his cool expression returned. Ed regarded him with cold suspicion, his body tense.

"I just meant that I made it to this floor not too long ago, Edward. I'm just like you in this place." Daniel said coolly, yet Edward felt his body jolt as if he'd been stabbed. This doctor seemed peculiar since he met him, and now his words were unearthing a memory from long ago.

_"We're the same... We're the **same** , you and I!"_

"You're wrong." Ed snapped, taking both Daniel and Rachel by surprise. Anger danced in his eyes, and tension rolled off his shoulders like waves. "I don't think you're like me at all." He glared holes at Daniel, almost seeing through him. A silhouette of someone else seemed to hover over the doctor. The walls around him morphed and darkened, and beady eyes stared at him through metal bars on all sides as the memory crept forward.

_**"Big brother-"** _

"Ed?" Rachel spoke up softly, snapping Ed back as he gasped quietly, whipping his head around to look at her. She stared up at him in concern, a small frown on her face. "Are you okay?" She asked, her voice barely higher than a whisper.

Ed licked his suddenly dry lips and nodded, squeezing her hand. "Yeah." He said, turning his gaze on Daniel and narrowing his eyes. "Just reminded me of something."

Daniel returned his stare evenly, seeming to be analyzing Ed, before he allowed his smile to grace his features once more. "Well, in any case, we should continue on." He said, pushing past the two and now taking the lead.

Ed watched him, feet unwilling to move, but he stumbled forward as Rachel tentatively tugged him along.

Silence filled the air as they walked through the seemingly never-ending hallway, passing a few doors, when Daniel suddenly stopped.

"What's the hold up?" Ed asked, irritated as he leaned to the right, peering around the doctor.

A glass wall blocked them from continuing straight on, and to the right of it was another hallway.

"Oh dear." Daniel said, oddly calm. "Looks like we can't go that way."

"Then we should find another way." Rachel stepped forward, looking down the other hallway, as Ed turned and tried the two nearby doors. Locked.

"Damn." Ed murmured, frowning. He turned to Daniel, watching him, and noticed his stare on Rachel. His eyes narrowed.

"Oi, Doctor." Ed called, catching his attention.

"Yes?" His eyes slide from Rachel to Ed eerily, and Ed repressed a shudder.

"Do you think there's keys around here?"

Daniel became thoughtful. "Hmm... Perhaps." He said after a long pause. "But we'd have to look for them."

"That's fine by me." Ed said abruptly, and he turned to Rachel. "Stay here while we go look, okay?"

Rachel went to protest, but upon seeing how serious of a look sat on Ed's face, she relented, nodding meekly.

Daniel seemed surprised but otherwise complied, following Ed as he lead the way back down the hallway. Ed could feel Rachel's stare on the back of his head as he and the doctor walked further away, rounding the corner and disappearing from her sight.

Daniel glanced over his shoulder for a moment, then turned his gaze to Ed. "You don't like me." He said in a matter of fact tone.

"No fucking shit." Ed spat, his shoulders hunched up. "I don't trust you as far as I can throw you- and I can throw pretty far." He stopped to look up at the doctor, cold daggers stabbing into Daniel's body, yet the man remained undisturbed. "But since Rachel knows you, I'll put up with you. For now."

Daniel Dickens, who seemed to be the epitome of calm, smiled freely in response. "If it's any consolation, I don't like you either." He retorted, now walking ahead and leaving Ed to catch up to him.

Ed found himself back in the lobby area, and he immediately began looking for keys, checking the under the chairs and in the plants, before moving on to the check in desk. He moved papers that could have been obscuring anything, and frowned. He began pulling drawers open, rifling through them, and then bent down to look under the desk when that lead him nowhere. He moved to straighten up when that, too, lead to disappointment, and froze when he felt something lean in from behind him. He yelped, whipped around quickly, and pushed back against the desk at seeing Daniel so close to him.

"What the  _hell_ , Daniel?!" Ed shouted, raising a hand to punch him, when he suddenly heard the jingle of metal near his ear. He blinked.

Daniel smiled eerily, holding a single key in front of Ed's face. "Found it." He said, leaning back and moving away from the check in desk.

"What- Where-?" Ed spluttered, watching Daniel walk away from him.

"The desk."

Ed frowned, and watched as Daniel approached a door he hadn't previously noticed. It was close to the elevator, and when Daniel tried the key, it worked, successfully unlocking it.

"How did you know the key would work there?" Ed asked, finally moving to join the doctor as he stepped into the room.

"Had a feeling." Daniel said simply, not willing to elaborate.

Ed watched him carefully, then turned to take in the new room. It appeared to be an examination room dedicated to eyes, as posters of the subject manner line the wall. An examination bed sits in the room as well as a regular hospital bed to the right of the room, and there's a work desk by a medicine cabinet on the left. Ed even spotted a medical skeleton in the corner of the room. Seeing not many options, Ed resumed his key search by approaching the work desk.

"Don't walk up on me like that again or I'll deck you, got it?" Ed said, more as a threat than anything, but he paused upon hearing Daniel's dark chuckle.

"Understood." Daniel replied, and Ed whipped around as the door slammed shut, the lock sliding into place.

It wasn't even a second before Ed sprinted, throwing his weight against the door and grunting as it held in placed. He knew immediately it was reinforced.

"Daniel, you bastard!" Ed howled, and behind the door Ed heard an unnerving cackle.

"You were right to distrust me, but I think you underestimated by how much." Ed could hear the sneer in his voice, and he then sighed dreamily. "Now you can't bother me while I take Rachel's eyes. But don't worry! I'll be back to take your beautiful peepers after I get Rachel's baby blues."

"No! You better not touch her, you creep!" Ed snarled, slamming his fists into the door violently. "When I get out of here, I'm going to break your arms!"

"If you can get out, that is." Daniel's laugh was haughty, and Ed could hear him walking away.

Ed redoubled his efforts, bashing the door with his fists and only succeeding to cause the wood to splinter. He swung his left leg back and kicked as hard as he could, but only caused a dent in the thick wood. He grit his teeth, and stepped back to take a breath. He threw his body against the door once again, bracing his shoulder for impact. He could hear the door creak each time he slammed his full weight into the door, but with each second it held, Ed felt his panic rise higher.

"Rachel!" Ed shouted at the top of his lungs, hoping his voice would carry through the halls to her, to give her some sort of warning. "Rachel!"

...

_Ding._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mentioned this on FF.Net but I'm developing another AoD crossover fic, this time with Ib! It's set after AoD but during the events of Ib, and like I said on FF.Net it could involve Zack/Garry. It's not a definite yes or no on that, but I've started shipping it the more I thought about the crossover, so at the very least I wanna give some content for it. I don't plan for romance to be a big part of it anyways-
> 
> I'll see you at the next update!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward and Rachel are separated and deal with two different psychos at the same time; Ed deals with the killer from the previous floor, while Rachel realizes just how unhinged Daniel Dickens really is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started writing this today with the intention of working on it over the course of a few days, but I guess I had a burst of motivation so enjoy this chapter! I'm sorry if Danny's a little too creepy in this; I enjoy his character but I get these real bad creepy vibes from him whenever he interacts with Rachel that I wanted to portray. It makes me uncomfortable so I wrote it to be uncomfortable. Otherwise, I hope you like this!
> 
> Threw in a little meme, comment if you spot it!

**_Chapter 5_ **

Ed paused, the erratic thoughts in his head coming to a standstill as he processed what he had just heard echo from outside the room.  _The elevator?_

Sure enough, he heard those heavy metal doors slide open in the silence, followed by the sound of footsteps creeping out. Ed's heart raced. Was it another victim? Maybe they could help him. From their shuffling, he guessed they were checking out the lobby area.

"Hello?" He called out, and he heard their movements stop entirely. He continued, "I'm locked in this room! Help me out here!" Ed raised his voice a tiny bit, hoping it could help them pinpoint his location.

He waited for a few seconds, frowning when he only heard silence on the other side of the door. He opened his mouth to call out again when a flurry of footsteps approached the door in a rather hurried manner. He stumbled back when a weight hit the door, and the person on the other side seemed rather aggressive in their attempts to open it.

"Hey! What the hell, man? You scared the shit out of me!" He snapped, narrowing his eyes. A familiar laugh sounded from the other side, and he felt his heart drop into his stomach.

_The killer from the last floor!_

"My bad, pipsqueak!" The man barked from the other side as Ed backed away. He ignored the flare of anger in his chest at the nickname-  _no one's called me that in years-_ and let his eyes roam the room as the killer on the other side tried to physically pry the door off it's hinges. "You're gonna be doing more than shittin' yourself when I get in there! You're gonna be _begging_ me to spare your little life!" He spoke with such a sadistic glee that it almost caused Ed to gag.

"What did I ever do to you?!" Ed shouted, starting to physically search the room himself. He looked in drawers and in cabinets, desperately searching for a weapon to defend himself with.

_Time to add this to the list of times I wished I had alchemy still-_

"It hurt when you hit me with that pipe!" The maniac growled out, throwing his weight into it now as the door groaned at the pressure. There was no way it could hold much longer, reinforced or not.

"So?! You tried to kill me!" Ed retorted, and his brain barely processed that he was  _arguing_ with the man about to break through a reinforced door, but he pushed it aside; he needed to find something he could use against him. He hurried over to the beds and bent down, peeking underneath them. Nothing.

"That's the fucking point, twerp!"  _Bang, bang, bang._

Ed could hear the door starting to break. He whipped around, eyes scanning the walls and shelves. He had to find something-

_CRACK! **SLAM!**_

Ed froze as the door finally gave way and slammed back into the wall, and the familiar form of the killer stepped forward, still brandishing that scythe. Ed scrambled to his feet as the man's eyes locked onto him; wild and thirsty for blood.

For _his_ blood.

Ed almost felt surprised that he was still making enemies, even in a place he never remembered coming to, but he supposed he just had that kind of charm.

"Got you now." The killer said triumphantly, grin spreading ear to ear across his face. "Time for you to scream and cry, pipsqueak. It's the end of the line."

Ed scowled, feeling his agitation flare up. _Call me short one more time, asshole-_ "Actually, I beg to differ!"

"Then beg, shorty."

_That's **it!**_

He rushed forward, thankfully catching the maniac by surprise as Ed brought his right fist back, promptly punching him right in the jaw.

* * *

 

"Doctor?"

Rachel blinked in confusion as she saw Daniel return, alone. There was no sign of her companion she had met two floors ago, and her concern flared up.

"Where's Ed?" She asked, holding a fist to her chest as she craned her neck to look past him, hoping that the man was simply lagging behind. No such luck.

"Ah, well you see..." Daniel started, causing her to look back up at him. He smiled reassuringly, and knelt so he was eye level with her. "Edward and I found the keys, but he unfortunately got stuck in a room. Now of the keys would work, so I think there may be another one somewhere. Let's look together, alright?"

Rachel paused, feeling an uneasy weight settle in the pit of her stomach. Something felt wrong. She stared at Daniel as he smiled at her, waiting for her answer.

Despite her gut telling her to get away, she nodded, resolving that it would be better to help Ed as soon as possible. "Alright, doctor." She said quietly.

Daniel responded immediately. "Please, Rachel, I'd prefer it if you called me Danny." His smile was beginning to unnerve her.

"...Danny."

He seemed pleased, and moved away, standing up straight, and he pulled out a small key ring from his pocket. "Shall we explore the other rooms together?" He asked, already moving in their direction.

Rachel hesitated, watching Daniel for a brief moment before her gaze shifted to the dark hallway. She didn't know Ed very well, but she knew for certain that she felt a lot safer with him than she did with her own therapist.

Daniel unlocked one of the rooms, and turned to look at Rachel. He paused upon noticing her far off stare. "Rachel?" He called. She snapped her attention to him almost immediately, and he smiled. "This way."

Rachel frowned, but complied, approaching the doctor and following him into the room. He placed a hand on the small of her back as if to help lead her inside, and she suppressed the shudder that threatened to overtake her at his touch.

She missed Edward already.

* * *

 

"You fucker!"

Edward watched as the killer stumbled back, cursing Ed out as he rubbed at his sore jaw. He took the opening, delivering another punch to the man's gut and watching as he grunted, doubling over. For good measure, he brought his left leg up and kicked the scythe out of his hand- the metal weapon clattered to the floor a few feet away, and Ed felt relieved now that they were both unarmed. It wasn't that he wasn't sure he could take him while he was armed, but Ed knew that with a long weapon like that scythe, there was no way he could get close without receiving a serious slash.

The maniac took a second to recover, and when he looked up at Ed once again, he looked positively livid. If looks could kill, Ed knew he would have been absolutely slaughtered right then and there. This was a killer who wasn't used to his prey fighting back, and he seemed to realize that Ed wasn't going down without a struggle.

To emphasize this to him, Ed closed his fists and brought them up, taking an offensive stance. He stared at him intensely, challenging him to make a move.

Stupidly, the killer made a move.

Ed quickly realized this man didn't have much knowledge when it came to hand-to-hand combat, as his punches were sloppy and uncoordinated. He could have laughed, but held back from doing so from the murderous stare he was giving him and from the force he was putting into his swings. Ed was able to dodge them easily. To think, this guy kinda scared him just one floor ago.

He grunted as the killer's fist suddenly connected with his cheek, and he cursed inwardly- he let his guard drop a bit after witnessing the man's incompetence at something as simple at punching-

Another hit, this time to his shoulder. He felt himself step back, before the maniac threw his weight onto Ed, toppling him onto the floor. Ed gasped as he collided with the cool floor roughly, and choked when bandaged hands wrapped themselves around his throat and squeezed-

He threw blind punches up at the killer, feeling his heartbeat spike. The man grinned, a sick sort of excitement flickering in his eyes as he settled his weight on Ed, practically sitting on him. Ed kicked his legs out, feeling his lungs strain for air as he coughed, trying to get as much air as he could. The hands on his neck squeezed tighter.

"The game was fun, but I want my prize now." The killer said, leaning down and putting more forced into his hands. Ed choked, closing his eyes tightly. He then opened one to glare.

It was the first time he could get a real good look at this man's face. The bandages really did cover the majority of his skin, and Ed could only get a glimpse of darkened skin underneath them. His eyes, while wide and blood shot, appeared more amber than gold as he last noticed, and he took note that the pupil of his right eye was dilated to the point the color of his iris was almost gone. He didn't seem to be much older than Ed himself.

"I'm gonna break your little neck." The man sneered, starting to laugh as Ed grabbed his wrists. He was starting to become lightheaded as his vision blurred. He had to get out now.

Ed kicked his legs more aggressively, twisting his body this way and that under the killer, who shifted in response.

"Stay still, ya little-FUCK!"

Ed's left knee had gone straight between red clad thighs, and he found himself immediately freed as the killer toppled over onto his side. He coughed, rolling away and getting to his knees as he gasped for breath.

Once he recovered, he stood, sending one last look to the poor man curled up in pain before sprinting out of the room.

Sometimes, Ed was glad he still had at least one automail prosthetic.

* * *

 

Rachel didn't like this one bit.

Daniel was starting to really terrify her, and she was beginning to feel like he had only wanted to get her alone from the start. He had lead her into an operating room, and had been talking some sort of nonsense about her eyes, before sending her into the back room to search for... for his eye?

_"Remember Rachel; My eye is alexandrite."_ He had said to her, and she only felt confused as she slowly ventured further into the dark room. It was hard to see, and she felt too nervous to reach out and feel out her surroundings. She thought of Edward, the young man who she had met not too long ago, and the words he had said to her not even an hour ago.

_"I **promise**  I'll make sure that nothing in this building will hurt you."_

He really did promise her that, didn't he? A total stranger, and already he was willing to protect her like that. It surprised her how such a seemingly kindhearted individual had ended up here in this place.

Of course, she didn't know why she was here, either.

She finally reached the desk in the back, seeing a dim light, and she squinted to get a better look at it when she gasped. Her hands flew up to cover her mouth. The light was being emitted from a small jar, and she could see eyes floating in the liquid. Whether they were real or not, Rachel didn't know, but she had a good idea of the answer and felt dread well up in her chest.

"Rachel." Daniel's voice spoke from behind her, and she whipped around, bumping into the desk as she looked up at him fearfully. His dark figure loomed over her ominously, and he smiled at her through the darkness. "What's taking you so long, Rachel?"

"I..." She trailed off, her tongue suddenly so dry. She cleared her throat, lowering her gaze and hunching her shoulders up. "I was looking... It's hard to see..."

"Of course. I'm sorry you had to strain your pretty little peepers." Again with the eyes. "But I think you found it! Please, give it here."

That caught her interest. She looked up at him, then turned, staring at the jar she had just found. "...You mean, this?" She asked, pointing at it.

"Yes!" He sounded a bit hysterical now. "Give it here, now!" He demanded, causing her to flinch. She shakily picked it up, hesitated a moment, then held it out to Daniel.

"Here." She said quietly, and shuddered as his fingers brushed over her own. He takes it, smiling eerily.

"Thank you. Now, go wait outside like a good girl, Rachel. I just need to get this in now... I'm not myself without it in, you see." He sounded oddly calm now, and Rachel felt her heartbeat spike up. Without saying another word, she hurried out of the dark room and returned to the light of the operating room. Daniel's voice echoed behind her. "Don't run away now, Rachel. You won't like the consequences of running away." He warned as the door closed behind her.

Sweat beaded on her forehead, and she hurried around the table, dashing for the door. _I have to get out-!_

She grabbed the door handle and tugged, and her heart throbbed in her chest as it refused to budge.

He locked it, she realized.

Rachel whipped around, eyes frantically scanning the room, and relief rushed over her at the sight of a crowbar underneath a chair. She rushed for it, picking it up, and returned to the door, now using it to pry it open. It occurred to her that Daniel must have also locked Edward into a room in order to separate them. It made her feel sick.

Finally, the door gave way, and she smiled as it opened in front of her.

"Rachel."

Her heart stopped, eyes widening, and the crowbar clattered at her feet. Hands settled on her shoulders, freezing her to the spot.

Behind her, Daniel spoke. "You bad girl, Rachel. I told you not to run away." He sounded disappointed.

"D...Doctor." Rachel's throat felt raw from how dry it was. She swallowed thickly. She tensed when he leaned down, his breath against her ear.

"This is my floor, Rachel." He whispered, giddy as if he were telling her a secret. "I'm not letting you get away without doing anything to you."

At that, Rachel felt her feet move, and she lunged forward out of his grip. His hands let go of her shoulders, only to grab her wrists and tug her back. He laughed as she let out a scream, struggling against him, and he dragged her towards the table against her will. She felt her heart sink in her chest; even while using all her strength, she was unable to wretch her hands free or even get them close enough to hurt Daniel.

He spun her around to face him and pushed her around, and she felt her back connect with the table as he pushed her onto it, his body towering over hers. She screamed louder, thrashing her body to free herself. Daniel grinned, eyes wild, and she noticed with disgust and fear that his right eye was different from before- now, the eye looked to be two separate eyeballs crammed together, as both a green eye and a reddish-brown eye stared down at her.

The sight terrified her, and she closed her eyes. "Edward!!" She cried out, straining her voice, hoping he could hear her.

Daniel cackled in her face, tongue lolling out and hanging from his mouth disgustingly. "He won't be able to hear you from here, Rachel! You're all alone!" He taunted, maniacal grin spreading across his face. "Please open your eyes, Rachel! They look so lovely filled with fear like that." He then sighed. "But they're no good to me now. They need to go back to how they were before."

She couldn't understand his talk about how 'things were before', and she wasn't sure she wanted to. Rachel opened her eyes, feeling the pressure of tears starting to well up behind them. "Danny, please, let me go!" She whimpered, feeling so small against the table. "I just want to see my mom and dad again!"

He seemed vaguely surprised by that, before a knowing look crossed his expression. He smiled his usual smile, once appearing trustworthy and now looking deranged. "Oh, Rachel, you'll get to see your parents again soon." He was oddly calm now, and his words caused her to pause.

"What?" She asked, her voice small. She recoiled as his smile widened to an ugly grin, and his wild eyes bore into hers. The air left her lungs as his next words felt like a punch to the gut.

"You'll see them again in _hell!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! It was pretty fun to write. Ed's enjoyable to write as and I can't wait until Zack joins the team because he's gonna be equally as fun to write as. We're getting there!
> 
> I have a question for you all; Is there a ship you'd like to see in this? I've seen a little interest in Ed/Zack but that'll depend on the majority. I don't plan for romance to be a huge part of this fic but I'm not against writing little moments throughout the fic. The only ships I won't write are Zack/Ray or just Ray with any adult character- nothing against those who do ship it but the age difference makes me a little uncomfortable.
> 
> Let me know your thoughts!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel's words unearth unwanted memories in Rachel's mind, and Ed rushes in to save her from the twisted doctor. The tables are turned when the killer unintentionally helps them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm currently on march break, and I hope everyone else enjoys theirs!

**_Chapter 6_ **

It was silent. Daniel's lips were moving as if he were laughing above her, but it was silent.  A quiet ringing sounded in Rachel's ears, getting louder and louder until it was deafening.

_"You'll see them again in **hell!"**_

_In hell?_

_What does... that mean..._

Her head throbbed.

Ding.

_Ding._

**_Ding._ **

_... Oh._

_I remember..._

Shadows crossed over her face, hiding her eyes, and Daniel ceased his laughter.

"Rachel?" His voice sounded muffled, far off but so close to her.

"Ah, Rachel! Your eyes! How wonderful!"

_My eyes..._

His hands let go of her wrists.

"I'm so glad! They're perfect, absolutely perfect!"

His voice sounded clearer now, the ringing in her ears starting to subside.

"Please stay with me, Rachel!"

"Like hell, she will!"

A familiar voice spoke up from behind Daniel, and suddenly he was pulled away from Rachel.

* * *

 Daniel grunted as he felt his back collide with the floor, and an abnormally heavy foot planted itself squarely against his chest. His eyes flicked up, meeting with two pools of molten gold, and he shuddered at the anger in Edward's eyes. All directed at him.

"How did you get out?!" Daniel shouted incredulously, grabbing onto Ed's ankle and attempting to move his foot- it wouldn't budge. "I took the key with me! You shouldn't have been able to get out!"

"Shut up!" Ed snarled, pressing his foot down against Daniel's sternum. "I'm about to beat your ass!" He moved his foot away, reaching down and grabbing a fist full of Daniel's shirt, pulling him forward. Daniel's hands went for Ed's face, scratching and clawing, and Ed ignored them in favor of swinging his fist, slugging Daniel in the face. A hand hit Ed's cheek, sharp nails tearing down, and he could feel the burn as heat sprung to the area.

"You're getting in the way!" Daniel seethed, crazed eyes glaring holes into Ed, and Ed brought another swing down onto the doctor's face, knocking his glasses off and breaking them. Some swelling could already be seen under his left eye, and his lip was split. Daniel spat, sending blood into Ed's eye, making Ed recoil as he brought a hand to wipe the offending substance away. He backed away, rubbing his wrist furiously against his eyes as Daniel sat up.

"I'm going to kill you, boy!" Daniel screeched, making to get to his feet. "I'm going to-!"

**_Shink!_ **

Ed blinked away the blood in his eyes, brows furrowed at the sudden silence. His vision cleared, and his breath caught in his throat, eyes widening as his blood ran cold.

The killer was there, once again, but this time, he had claimed a life.

Daniel sat on his knees, staring ahead as blood dripped down his chin. The blade of the scythe had struck him in the shoulder, dangerously close to his neck, and blood blossomed across his shirt and the white lab coat. The crimson liquid pooled beneath him as Daniel coughed, the sparkle of life in his one brown eye fading as the blade retreated from his body, and Daniel's body crumpled to the floor.

The killer laughed, making Ed flinch as he watched him firmly plant his foot on Daniel's back, digging it into the body. "Hey, Danny! Sorry about that, but your shouting was getting on my nerves! My bad, but no hard feelings, right?" He mocked, sadistic grin stretching as he received nothing in reply.

Walking over the body, it took the killer a moment to realize that others were in the room-giving Ed enough time to pick up Rachel's still body from the table before those mismatched eyes landed on him. Ed returned the killer's smirk with a scowl.

"You don't stay down, do you?" Ed asked, keeping his distance as the killer stalked forward and circled around the table; Ed did the same, preferring the small obstacle it provided in the man's path.

"Nope." The maniac sneered, scythe resting against his shoulder as he eyed the duo. "And I'd like to see ya try and fight me now. C'mon, put her down and face me, pipsqueak." He taunted.

Ed gritted his teeth, tightening his grip on Rachel as he glanced down at her. Her eyes remained hidden by her bangs, and she was so still that it was hard to tell if she was awake or not. The only thing that kept Ed from believing she was dead was the fact she was breathing. His gaze shifted, moving to Daniel's body bleeding out on the tiled floor, before settling on the killer once more, who managed to get closer while Ed was distracted.

He put distance between them once more.

"How could you do that to him?" Ed asked, nodding his head to Daniel. The killer blinked. "Weren't you two working together?"

The man snorted. "Don't make me laugh! Our only jobs here are to deal with victims on our floors." He said, pausing to circle around the table in the other direction, making Ed back up despite how close he was to running through the exit. Ed narrowed his eyes. Maybe he was a bit smarter than he gave him credit for.

"Wait, your job? Then, were you suppose to come up here and kill him?"  Ed asked, and that made the killer stop entirely. He frowned.

"Uh..." He trailed off, when above them, the speakers flickered to life. An automated voice spoke once more, making both Ed and the killer look up.

_ "The resident of floor B6 has attacked the resident of floor B5. As this violates the rules, the traitor is now also a sacrifice." _

Ed laughed at the scowl that formed on the killer's face, getting louder at his incredulous yell of "Are you fuckin' kidding me?!"

_Never mind, he's a complete moron!_

"You dumbass, now you're like us!" Ed mocked, shoulders shaking. He felt his grip on Rachel go slack, and he knelt on the floor to sit her down before he dropped her.

The man gritted his teeth, growling in his throat. "Like hell am I gonna end up like you two! I'm getting the fuck out of here!" Ed watched as the man quickly turned tail and ran out of the doorway, stepping on Daniel's body once more on his way out. The echoes of his footsteps echoed, before the sound of broken glass clearly rang out in the empty halls.

_The glass wall... Should have broke that earlier. Then we probably could avoided all of this with Daniel..._

Ed shook himself from his thoughts when he felt Rachel stir. His attention focused on her as she tentatively lifted her head. "Rachel, are you ok-"

He paused, his voice dying in his throat as her eyes settled on him, once bright and full of innocence and now dull and blank, like a doll's. He felt a chill run up his spin as unease set in, causing him to falter. He swallowed, then tried speaking again. "Rachel, are-"

"I'm fine." She answered, her quiet voice now empty of emotion. "I just... remembered." She said simply, moving to stand on her feet. She dusted off her shorts, then turned in the direction of the doctor's body. His blood still spread across the floor, yet she didn't flinch at the sight. "Is Danny dead?" She asked.

"Ah..." Ed sat up on his knees, frowning as he looked towards the body, then averted his gaze. "Yeah... There's no way he survived the strike the killer made." He said, a weight settling in his gut. He almost felt guilty that he didn't prevent the doctor from dying. Sure, he was completely ready to beat him 'til he was unconscious, but actually watching the life fade from his eye like that... it almost made Ed want to puke. Shaking the memory away, Ed moved to his feet, and he looked down at his companion. "Rachel, what did you remember?" He asked.

Rachel paused for a moment, looking away from him as if she were considering her next words carefully, before she lifted her head. She made eye contact with him, staring for a short moment, before she spoke. "I'm not suppose to be alive." She said softly, yet the words hit Ed like a blow to the chest. He stepped back, eyes widening.

"...What do you mean?" He asked, his voice but a whisper. _What the hell did she remember?_

Rachel shrugged, looking away from Ed. "...I'm just not meant to live." She moved away, walking around Daniel's body, and she quietly crept out of the room.

"Hey! Hey, no, no, no, you can't just leave it right there!" Ed called, running after her- being careful not to step on the corpse as he goes-, and he catches up with her in the hall. Grabbing a hold of her shoulder, Rachel stops as Ed moves in front of her, staring her down in concern. "What the hell do you mean, 'I'm not meant to live'? Where did that bullshit come from?" He asked, shaking her shoulders, but she just stared up at him blankly.

Just when Ed thought she wouldn't answer him, she spoke up quietly, causing Ed to strain his ears in order to hear her. "... You wouldn't understand, Ed."

He hardened his stare on her, and she averted her eyes. "Fucking try me, Rachel." He challenged. At her silence, his gaze softened. "...You can talk to me if something's troubling you."

She seemed a bit uncomfortable under his stare, staring down at the floor, when a new sound caught their attentions; Metal clanging against metal echoed through the halls. Ed looked over his shoulder, seeing the broken shards of glass on the floor, and he frowned. He glanced back at Rachel, who looked undisturbed.

"...Stay behind me." He said, letting go of her and turning away as he rounded the corner, walking down the new hallway they now had access to. Glass cracked under their feet as they made their through, and Ed held a hand out to stop Rachel once they reached the end.

Ed peeked around the corner as annoyed growls reached his ears, and he saw the killer once more. He was attempting to open the metal doors with his scythe, and he also gave it a few kicks before he cried out in frustration. "Fuckin' open, you piece of shit! Let me the fuck out!!"

Ed snorted, shaking his head, and he walked out with Rachel in tow. "That's not gonna work, you idiot."

The killer paused, turning to look at them, and he narrowed his eyes as he gripped his scythe. "Great, you two again. The fuck do you want?" He asked, resting the weapon against his shoulder.

Ed could barely resist the urge to taunt the man, knowing for a fact it wouldn't end well for him, when Rachel stepped around Ed. She approached the killer, and Ed felt his body tense. He reached forward to grab her shoulder, not wanting her anywhere near the madman. "Rachel-"

"I have a favor to ask of you, sir." Her soft voice spoke up politely.

Both Ed and the killer paused, Ed staring at Rachel in shock while the killer appeared positively dumbfounded.

"...What?" The killer asked, staring her down with a mix of confusion and apprehension.

Rachel slowly brought both her hands up to her chest, clasping them together. She took a moment to gather her words. "Please..." She started, lifting her head. Her dead eyes stared into the man's, this killer, and her next words caused Ed's heart to stop.

"...Kill me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was having a hard time with writing this chapter, and I don't think it's my best work, but I'm glad to finally have it done! Hopefully the next chapter will be easier, and longer than this one as well. The changes from canon aren't all that big so far, but hopefully it'll start to be apparent soon!
> 
> I put some thought into the shipping, and I've decided that I'm not going to outright write any romance. Instead, it's up to the reader's interpretations on whether interactions between characters are romantic or platonic.
> 
> Anyways, what do you all think about this so far? I hope I'm doing a good job of keeping everyone in character! Are you enjoying it? Your thoughts so far? I'm excited to read what you think!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A strange alliance is formed as the killer joins the party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wrote this in one day again, there's possibly some mistakes that I missed!

_**Chapter 7** _

_Rachel slowly brought both her hands up to her chest, clasping them together. She took a moment to gather her words. "Please..." She started, lifting her head. Her dead eyes stared into the man's, this killer, and her next words caused Ed's heart to stop. "...Kill me."_

Silence.

"Rachel..." Ed spoke up, grabbing a hold of Rachel's shoulder. He tugged her back, and when she turned her to look at him, she flinched back at the look on his face. His face was red, and he looked as if he was going to blow.

"...Yeah?" She asked tentatively.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" He shouted, gripping her shoulder, glaring her down. She lowered her gaze.

"...Asking for him to kill me?" Ed groaned, slapping his palm over his face.

"Rachel... I told you, if you're troubled by something, you can talk to me! And really, this isn't how you solve anything." He said, sliding his hand off his face and frowning down at her. "You have to stay alive to fix any wrongs."

Rachel stared down at the floor, not giving any indication that she's listened to him. "Yeah... sure." She said absentmindedly.

Ed furrowed his brows, before a violent retch startled him. Both he and Rachel turned their attentions back to the man, the killer, only to see him leaning against the wall, using the back of his sweater sleeve to wipe the back of his mouth. A puddle of bile spread across the floor by his feet, and Ed stepped back, repulsed. Rachel didn't react, turning her gaze on the man as he returned his attention to the two blondes, his own disgust clear in his eyes.

"Don't say gross shit like that to me, you fuckin' freak!" He snapped, mildly surprising both Ed and Rachel. "I don't take requests, either. If you wanna die, then go kill yourself!"

"Oh shut up, asshole! You're not helping!" Ed retorted, glaring at the man.

The killer lifted his fist, raising his middle finger and vehemently spat. "Fuck you, shorty!"

"Stop." Rachel spoke up, holding her hand out to stop Ed from lunging at the man. "Just stop." She seemed a bit disheartened as she watched Ed, waiting for him to step back, before she turned back to the killer, staring up at him. "...You really won't kill me?" She asked quietly.

His face scrunched up as he scowled at her, turning his nose up into the air. "Well, I fucking might if you don't leave me the fuck alone." He glanced back at the elevator, and an idea seemed to pop into his head as his eyes lit up. He looked at Rachel, and then at Ed, and grinned a bit, looking grim in the low light of the hallway. "Maybe I'll be more willing to listen if you open this God damn elevator."

Ed didn't like that, and made to protest, when Rachel decided for him. "Okay." She said, and went on her way back through the hall.

Ed gaped, staring after her, before turning to look at the killer. He appeared surprised as well, but when his eyes met Ed's, he sneered, gripping his scythe. Ed bristled, glaring daggers, and he rushed to catch up with Rachel. He made it to her side as she crossed the threshold of broken glass.

"Rachel, wait a second." He said, and she paused to stare at him. She stayed silent, which prompted him to continue. "We gotta talk about this-"

"About what?" She asked. "That I'm complying with a serial killer?"

"Yes- well, no, but that too." Ed shook his head, frowning as he gathered his thoughts. "About you wanting to die."

"Then I don't have much to say." She said, brushing him off, and she turned down the hallway leading to the operation room.

Ed persisted. "Well, you may not, but I sure as hell do!" He snapped. "Where on earth did this suicidal bullshit come from?"

He supposed he should have been treading this more carefully, she was just a child after all, but he knew what she had to have been feeling. He didn't know what it was that caused her to feel this way, what she remembered, to feel like death was her only option, but he could relate at least. He knew he's felt that feeling before.

Rachel averted her gaze. "You... You don't understand-" She starts, and Ed interrupted her with a snap.

"Of course I don't understand! I don't know what's happened in your life to make you feel this way, and I never said I did." He continued when she only rubbed her arm, albeit with a softer tone. "If you think your own death is going to solve all of your problems, then I'm sorry, but that's not how it works. You're just pushing those problems onto the people around you. If you really want to fix things, then stay alive and work towards it."

He had no idea if what he was saying was helping her in anyway, but he did see some sort of spark in her eyes. After being silent for a long time, she spoke. "...I don't know if that will help..." She said as she resumed her walk. Ed made to reply, when she continued. "...But thank you, Ed."

Ed paused, watching her. He honestly didn't think his words would have any kind of effect, and while she didn't outwardly show any difference in demeanor, he supposed his words hit something in her. He smiled. "No problem."

The duo walked into the operation room, and Ed grimaced at the sight of Daniel's corpse. The pool of blood seemed even bigger now, and he just noticed that his blood had splattered onto the walls as well. Ed watched as Rachel knelt down without a problem, immediately going through his pockets. He was a bit surprised by how brazen the move was.

"You're not... unnerved by this?" He asked, uneasy.

"Not really." She replied, pulling out what looked to be a remote from the doctor's pocket.

"How?"

Rachel remained silent, turning to look at Ed, and when he thought back, he knew the reason why.

_"I… I saw someone die… murdered, right in front of me... So I was brought in for counseling."_

She had said that back on B7, before they knew what they were getting themselves into. Ed felt a pang of guilt in his chest.

"Ah, right... sorry. It was a dumb question." He said, waving his hand, and he looked at the remote in her hand. "Think that'll work?"

"Let's find out." She pushed the button and stood once they heard the sound of something heavy moving nearby, and together, the two left the bloody operation room.

* * *

 

"COME ONNNNN!!! OPEN UP ALREADY!!!"

Kicking at the door with all his might, the man cursed God and whatever powerful being there was that got him into this mess.

He just had to accept that stupid offer, didn't he? The offer that seemed so worthwhile at first, allowing him to kill without consequence, had now become his death sentence, and he was completely and utterly pissed.

"When I get my hands on that damn-"

The stupid elevator opened, finally, causing the man to blink as he was bathed in warm light. He felt confusion well up inside his head. "Huh?"

"Hey!" The annoying blond boy called out to him, and he suppressed the groan that threatened to leave him as he turned to look at them.

The two brats had returned, much to his annoyance, but they did what he asked, so he couldn't complain. He knew he wouldn't have been able to figure it out.

A thought occurred to him then. _They're smart if they opened it, then. Could be useful._

"So you guys opened it, huh?" He asked, resting his scythe on his shoulder. The gears in his head were already turning as he thought up a plan.

The blond boy with the gold eyes scowled at him. "What do you think, moron? Of course we did." He retorted, crossing his arms.

The Man ignored Gold Eyes for now, allowing a grin to spread across his face. "Well, then listen here, brats." He started, sticking his free hand in his pocket as he leaned forward. His taller frame cast a shadow on the two from the light of the elevator. "I'm dumb as shit, so I know I wouldn't be able to get out just by myself. But, if I had two smart kids like you helping me..." He trailed off, seeing both of their eyes spark as they realize what he's getting at.

Good kids.

"You want us to help you." The girl spoke, her dead eyes trained on him.

"Exactly! And, if you both behave, maybe I'll do what you want." He said, lifting his scythe and bringing the blade so it was an inch or so away from the Dead Eyes' neck. She did want to die, didn't she? She wouldn't get that until she made herself useful, he decided. At least then, when they're out and she's smiling, he could look forward to cutting her up.

Just as he imagined the blade sinking into her flesh, a tanned hand grabbed the handle of his scythe and pushed it back, and he snapped his gaze to stare into blazing golden eyes. Gold Eyes was glaring at him, and he stumbled back a step when he shoved the weapon back to him.

"You're not laying a hand on her." Gold Eyes seethed, clenching his fists, and he thought the boy would punch him again. "She doesn't need her death secured, she needs help. I'll be fucking damned if I let her die."

He felt his annoyance start to rise but he had to cool it. This kid wasn't gonna make it easy, it seemed, and he readjusted his plan mentally. It could still work- it's just now he had to take him into consideration as well. He held his stare, his grin fading into a bit of a frown as he regarded the him. This kid had fire in his eyes, and he didn't know if he hated it or respected it.

The man snorted, Respected? He didn't respect anyone, let along a little brat.

"What?" Gold Eyes asked, shoulders raising as his anger at him seemed to grow. He must have thought he was laughing at him.

"Okay, then how about this for a deal;" The man began again, walking up to the two. He saw the boy's body tense, and he moved to stand in front of the girl as if he was going to hurt her. _Is he her guardian or some shit? Has to be._

He stared the two down, grinning, as he stood right in front of them. "You help me escape this damn building, and you get out alive." He glanced at the Dead Eyes. "And, if she still wants to die by the time we get out of here..." He swung his scythe around the two, and Gold Eyes jolted as he and Dead Eyes were suddenly caged in by the blade. "...I get to slaughter her."

"Okay." "Absolutely not!"

The two had spoken in unison, and the man watched as the two turned on each other, but it was entirely Gold Eyes who was angry. The man felt his eye twitch as Gold Eyes berated Dead Eyes, his voice getting on his nerves. Maybe he should just kill Gold Eyes and leave with Dead Eyes...

No. If he wanted a better chance of survival, he knew he should take them both. He may have been dumb as a rock, but he at least knew he'd have better odds getting out with their help.

His patience with Gold Eyes, however, was already starting to wear thin.

Grabbing the ponytail Gold Eyes had his hair in, he yanked roughly, pulling the boy to him, and ignored his yelp of pain and the hands the flew up to hit his arm. "Listen here, you little fuck." The man started, his voice low and threatening. Gold Eyes stilled. "If you keep yelling like that, then I'm gonna fucking gut you and leave you here, got it?"

He expected Gold Eyes to be scared, to stutter out something to show he complied, but instead he received an angry huff and a shove. "Okay, I got it! Just let me go!"

Tsking, the man released him, and Gold Eyes stepped away with a scowl.

"Do we have a deal, or what?" The man asked loudly. He was starting to get impatient, placing his hand on his hip. He wanted to get moving already.

Gold Eyes glanced at Dead Eyes, who answered for the duo. "Yeah. It sounds like a good deal."

The man watched Gold Eyes frown and look away, but he didn't protest.

"Good." The man said shortly. "My only rule for you two is to not get happy. When people get all happy around me..." He let a sick grin spread across his face, and he relished the look of disgust on Gold Eyes face as he breathed out, "I can't help but kill 'em." 

"Remind me to never smile around you, ever." Gold Eyes deadpanned, and he must have been impatient too, for he pushed past the man to walk into the elevator behind him.

The man looked back at him with a scowl, and then looked at Dead Eyes, resting the scythe on his shoulder. "The rule shouldn't be a problem with you, anyways. You're like a doll." He turned to the elevator, walking inside with Dead Eyes trailing behind him. Once the trio were inside, Gold Eyes pressed the button.

"Hey, what's your names?" The man asked as the doors slid shut.

"Rachel Gardner." Dead Eyes answered, staring straight ahead at the doors. She stood in the middle, with Gold Eyes to her left, and the man to her right.

"Edward Elric." Gold Eyes said, albeit reluctantly, and he looked at the man expectantly. The elevator began to move.

The man flashed a smirk at him, taking amusement in the little scowl Gold Eyes sent back. "Call me Zack."

* * *

 

The operation room floor was cold. The air was cold. Everything was cold.

Daniel's body was cold.

A light flashed from under the door leading to the back room, and after a brief moment of the silence, slowly the door was pushed open with a low creak.

Footsteps echoed across the room, approaching Daniel, and stopped.

Lifeless eyes stared up. Dead. Dull.

"Hm..." A voice hummed, discontent, echoing through the small room.

"This won't do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zack was a lot of fun to write as skjdhssa I'm so glad he's apart of the gang now. I had fun writing this as it's a change of pace from the other chapters, and I think the next one will be similar to this before we get back into the action. I hope me switching to Zack's POV wasn't too confusing? I'll be doing that more between the three of them as this fic goes on.
> 
> Oh, and who was that person at the end? ;)
> 
> What did you think? Thoughts? Predictions? Did I keep everyone in character? I like hearing back to know what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong.
> 
> As a side note, I did decide that there wasn't going to be romance in this, but I see there's still interest for Ed/Zack(especially on FF.Net), and I have two little side fic ideas that I can definitely explore that in! 
> 
> One idea is a high school AU- I'd have to play around with ages if I want the main cast to fit into high school years, but it would most definitely be Ed/Zack with possibly Ray/Al? I dunno I think Al and Ray would be really cute. Would switch between Zack and Ed as they get through school and figure out their feelings.
> 
> The second idea is an AU where Zack and Ray get adopted by the one and only badass housewife, Izumi Curtis. It would almost entirely be centered around Zack and his experiences if he were rescued by Izumi before he could snap and go on the path of murder. This would be a slow burn, childhood friends!Ed/Zack.
> 
> I'm also putting together a sequel to this fic that will explore Ed/Zack, but that's not gonna be until I finish this one anyways- just thought I'd put it out there.
> 
> Anyways, I think I rambled on enough! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you all again with the next chapter soon!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes arrive on floor B4 and begin their exploration of the graveyard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!! I've been kinda busy with college, so I'm just getting around to this now. Hope you're all having a great day and enjoy!

** _Chapter 8_ **

The elevator was quiet.

Ed shifted awkwardly, staring ahead at the metal doors. He glanced at Rachel, seeing her dead stare also settled on the elevator doors, and then shifted his gaze to the killer- Zack, he said his name was? He regarded him suspiciously, his body tense. A bead of sweat trailed down his face. An uneasy feeling had settled in his gut when they began their ascension to the next floor, knowing that he and Rachel were in a small, closed off space with a murderer. What if he decided suddenly to kill them? They couldn't avoid that scythe in an elevator!

Zack, seeming to sense eyes on him, made eye contact with Ed. They stared at each other for a split second, before Ed broke it, staring ahead, quietly gulping.

Ed could almost still feel the sensation of Zack's hands around his neck, squeezing to cut off his air flow. He very easily could have taken his life back there. Subconsciously, he brought a hand up to gently touch his neck, and flinched at the sore feeling he found there.

He had a strong feeling there were bruises on his neck.

Ed glanced over at Zack once again, only to see his gaze still on him, staring intensely. He almost jolted, and averted his gaze once more. The pattern of the elevator wall was suddenly very interesting.

"So, did you two know that guy?" Zack asked, breaking the silence. Rachel remained silent, and Ed chose to follow her lead and hunch his shoulders up.

Zack gritted his teeth, his eye twitching, and he looked away with a "hmph!"

Silence.

"Did you know him?" Rachel asked after a moment, catching both Ed and Zack by surprise.

"Huh? No, what gave you that idea?" Zack seemed perplexed.

"You called him by name."

"Oh? I did? Don't remember." Zack almost immediately dismissed her, and Ed squinted at him.

_Dumbass..._

The elevator dinged, signalling their arrival to the next floor, and Ed felt a shiver run through him as the doors slid open, feeling like a freezer was just opened on him.

"It's so cold!" He said, hugging himself as he took a step out. The new floor was completely different from the last- the floor and walls were brick, and two small pools of water sat on either side of a pathway in front of the elevator. Ed stared at the water, taking notice of the wisps of condensation coming off the liquid like steam. Ed spotted an area in the water that bubbled, and he tilted his head slightly, an eyebrow raising. Rachel also seemed to take notice, staring at the bubbles blankly.

"Oi, get over it and let's fuckin' go." Zack said, briskly pushing past Ed and taking the lead, and Ed glowered at him.

"Wait." Rachel spoke up, and continued when Zack paused to look over his shoulder at her. "How well do you know this place?" She asked, and Ed felt unnerved by the lack of emotion in her voice. Not even a shred of curiosity laced her voice, making her sound bland.

But she did ask a good question. Ed looked at Zack, his interest piqued. Zack seemed to raise a brow at the duo, then looked away.

"Not very well." He answered after a moment. "I never really left my floor."

"What, really? Don't you have a life besides killing?" Ed couldn't stop the words that tumbled out of his mouth, and from Zack's sharp look, he pursed his lips, biting his tongue to keep from speaking.

"Shut up. It doesn't matter, anyways." Zack growled, turning his back to the two blondes. "All I know is that the other residents are psychos. That's why I stayed on my floor. Now, stop wasting time, and let's get a move on." He resumed walking, his pace brisk. Rachel, not wanting to lag behind, followed after him.

Ed couldn't help but make a face as he trailed behind, muttering under his breath, "You say that like you're not a psycho, too..."

Thankfully, Zack didn't hear him.

Entering the next room, Ed frowned at the sight before him. The room was larger than the previous room, and in the center, two rows of graves greeted them, the smell of soil filling the air. Directly across from them on the other side of the room, rested a door, and on either side of the room were corridors. One of the graves was open, and beside it on a pile of dirt, sat a pickaxe.

"Graves..." Rachel spoke, staring at the slabs of stone standing before them.

Zack glanced at her, then snorted, turning away as he walked forward. "You gonna jump in one?" He asked, huffing.

Ed shot him a heated glare, digging holes into the back of his hooded head.

Zack kept the lead, trekking down the hallway to their right, and Ed and Rachel kept an even pace behind him. Entering a new room, Ed felt his jaw drop at the sight of more graves- this time, taking up the whole room.

"Oh my God." He said, covering his mouth. Four rows of graves lined both side of the room, with one path going straight through the middle. Before them, a stone scripture was laid out to be read, and beyond that, Ed could see one massive grave, followed by a decent grave, and what appeared to be a lumpy rock.

Despite the strong reaction Ed had, Zack and Rachel stepped forward without a problem, stopping in front of the stone slab. Ed stared at them in bewilderment.

"Wait! How does this not bother you?" Ed shouted, pointing at the duo as they turned to look at him.

"Huh?" Zack grunted, staring at Ed as if his behavior was peculiar. "What are you going on about, shorty?"

"Don't call me that!!" Ed snapped, then growled, hunching his shoulders up. "I mean, how can you guys just... act like this is normal?"

"How do you mean?" Rachel asked this time, no change in expression, and Ed could only feel himself grow even more confused.

"The graves!" Ed stated it as if it were obvious. "They're everywhere! We're- we're probably standing on graves right now!"

The two stared at him blankly, and Ed felt as if he were going insane. Why was he the only one concerned about this?

"So?" Zack asked, eyebrow raised. "It's just graves. What's the big deal?"

"It means that there's so much life that's been lost here!" How could they not see that?

"And? I don't see the point, shorty."

Ed felt his ire rise. _This motherfucker-_

"Don't fight, please." Rachel interrupted. "This isn't the time for that."

Ed held back his tongue, stopping himself from snapping at her, and he settled for taking a deep breath through his nose, exhaling softly. He shouldn't let himself get so worked up, especially in a situation like this.

Zack turned back to the slab, regarding it disdainfully, then gestured to Rachel as he stepped around it. "You. Read this." He said.

Rachel looked at him, before stepping forward, quietly clearing her throat. She began reciting the script engraved in the stone, her monotonous voice filling the silence.

_"_ _The welcomed by the Holy Land._

_The chosen by thee Lord, the Good men,_

_the Beloved by the Angels, the Special Ones,_

_leave yourselves in the magnificent glory of the Lord._

_To the traitors,_

_here will be then prison forever."_

Silence.

"I don't get it." Zack stated bluntly, an utterly bored look on his face.

"Of course you don't." Ed mumbled disdainfully, keeping his gaze averted.

Ed wasn't as fortunate this time, as Zack swung around to glare.

"What was that, shorty?!"

Ed whipped around, scowling as his temper flared. "I said, of course you don't, you moron! And stop calling me short!!"

"And what are you gonna do if I don't stop, huh, shorty?" Zack sneered, stomping forward and getting into Ed's personal space. He stood tall, staring down his nose as if to emphasize the inches in height he had on him. That irked Ed to no end- he wasn't short anymore, and just because he came up to Zack's jaw didn't mean that he was short, that just meant Zack was freakishly tall.

"I'll have you know I'm average height!" He berated, gritting his teeth. "And if you call me short one more time, I'll knee you in the crotch again!"

"Heh?" Zack dragged out the sound as long as annoyingly possibly, a sneer on his face at the sheer anger he was provoking out of Ed. He then leaned down, making Ed take a step back as Zack made himself eye level with him. "No fuckin' way you're average, unless you're from a town of midgets."

Something told Ed that Zack liked making fun of him, and it pissed him off to no end.

Ed clenched his fist with the preparation to swing, when Rachel's voice called over to them.

"I found something." She said, and both boys turned to look, surprised that she had managed to walk away without them noticing. Rachel was standing in front of the grand grave stone, back to the duo.

"Hey! You better not be trying to run off!" Zack straightened up immediately, hurrying over as if she were going to book it at any second. She remained in place as Zack reached her side, and Ed followed slowly, taking the time to calm himself before he joined them. He's really getting on my nerves.

"What are you looking at?" Zack inquired, looking down at Rachel before looking at the writing on the grave.

"The name..." She started, her voice slow. Ed sensed a bit of a difference in her tone, and felt a weight settle in his gut as he came to her side. Gazing at the stone, he felt dread fill his chest. "It's my name... Rachel Gardner." Ed noticed that Zack seemed surprised, as if he had forgotten Rachel's name, and scowled at him.

"Huh? Is that so..." Zack turned his attention to the two other graves beside Rachel's. "That what are these two?"

Ed made a face when his eyes moved to the decently made tombstone on the right, seeing his name carved with clean, bold lettering. "That one is mine." He said bitterly, approaching it and placing his right hand on it.

"Then if those two are yours, then this one..." Zack trailed off, turning to the lump of rock settled on the left of Rachel's grave, and he snorted. "This one is mine? It's a piece of shit!"

_Like you,_ Ed thought bitterly.

"Pisses me off." Zack continued, sneering. He lifted his scythe above his head. "I'm gonna break it."

"What you're gonna do break is your scythe, genius." Ed snapped, causing Zack to pause. "Don't be an idiot."

Zack gripped the handle of his scythe and glared at Ed. "I know! Fuck off!" He lowered his weapon, and glowered at Ed.

"There's a draft." Rachel intervened once more, and Ed swore he could hear a bit of annoyance in her voice. She pointed ahead, and Ed and Zack looked, taking notice of a gap in the brick wall directly behind the graves. Judging by the size of it, Rachel could make it through just fine, but Ed would probably struggle if he tried to go through himself.

There was no doubt that it would be impossible for Zack to go through.

The group was silent for a moment, before Zack spoke up. "You think there's something in there?" He had his scythe settled loosely against his shoulder, his free hand shoved in his pocket.

"Should I go look?" Rachel asked.

Zack shot her a foul look, tightening his loose grip on his scythe, before swinging the blade around. Ed jolted, his eyes widening in shock as he stepped back to avoid getting nicked.

"You're not thinking of running away, are you?" He asked, his voice lowering to a threatening growl.

"I won't run away." Rachel turned to him quickly, startling Zack, and allowing her to continue. "We made a deal. You still have to kill me."

"Rachel." Ed said sharply, and bristled as Rachel ignored him in favor of continuing.

"I shouldn't be long."

Zack stared her down, his eyes seeming to search her face for any sort of falsity, before he closed his eyes with a sigh. "That bullshit again." He lowered his scythe and pulled it away, resting it on his shoulder, and he made a face at Rachel. "You're really creepy, you know that?"

Ed kind of agreed with him at this point.

"Go ahead." Zack finished, turning away from her.

Rachel nodded, moving around the gravestone, and she stopped to regard the two men. "I'd like you two to search for the exit out here."

"What?" Zack immediately snapped, his shoulders raising. "Don't order me around."

Ed rolled his eyes at Zack's defensive reaction, and crossed his arms. "We'll look." He answered, ignoring the dirty scowl Zack sent his way.

"There's nothing but fuckin' graves around here!" Zack basically shouted.

Rachel looked at him. "There may be a switch that we can't see."

"You think I would know a switch if I saw one?"

Ed and Rachel stared at Zack, before nodding in sync.

"Yeah..."

"Right..."

"...Huh?!"

Rachel turned to Ed. "You look for the switch. I'll check inside."

"Got it." Ed replied, scratching his cheek, feeling at the marks Daniel left on the previous floor.

Zack, thoroughly insulted, turned away and grumbled as he walked over to his grave, kicking at it sullenly. Rachel, content with Ed's agreement to help, made her way to the opening in the wall, when Zack decided to speak up.

"If you get caught in a trap and die, then you better tell me, brat!"

Silence.

Rachel turned to look at Zack. "I can't talk if I'm dead." She deadpanned.

Zack's eye twitched, and Ed snorted, covering his mouth and looking away to avoid Zack's death stare.

"Also-"

"What now?!" Zack exploded, barring his teeth in anger. Rachel gazed at him calmly.

"Could you please not destroy my grave?" She asked quietly.

He stared at her, the corner of his eye twitching. Ed stared at him, watching as Zack processed the question, and averted his eyes, looking away from Rachel. "...Whatever. Just go already."

Content, Rachel turned, leaving the duo alone.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my plans for this fic, this chapter was actually suppose to include more, but I felt this was a good spot to leave off so I'm splitting this into two chapters. I hope you enjoy it, anyways! This was really fun to write.
> 
> I got a question for you guys; What voices do you prefer for our cast? For FMAB, I prefer the English dub as I grew up with it, and for AOD, I prefer the sub; I love Zack's voice a lot in the sub.
> 
> Please leave your thoughts in the comments! I look forward to reading what you have to say!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ed and Ray make some small discoveries in their separate searches.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been ten years since FMA: Brotherhood came out today!!! Hope you all had a great day today! (Wrote this in one day AGAIN plz excuse mistakes)

_**Chapter 9** _

"How long is she gonna fuckin' be?"

Ed leaned against the wall, reaching his hand down to rub at his left knee. He could feel the cool metal of his port through the fabric of his pants, and he rubbed around the port to generate heat. The cold air was starting to get to him, more so than Zack's pacing and complaining.

"She won't be long, idiot. Calm down." Ed retorted, missing the scowl Zack sent his way. He looked up at the sound of footsteps approaching him, and came face to face with Zack. "What-?"

"How about you stop insultin' me before I start swingin'?" Zack asked dryly, and Ed raised a brow. A smile formed on his face.

"What? Is your ego that fragile?" He challenged, and Zack's eyes narrowed to slits. He brought the blade of his scythe up to Ed's throat, making him press back against the wall.

Zack growled, "Shut up and quit smilin' before I kill you, pipsqueak."

Ed gulped a bit, a bit of fear slipping into his eyes as he glanced down at the sharp metal. Any closer and it would dig into his neck. Clenching his jaw, Ed sent a hard look Zack's way, and reached up, pushing the weapon away from him.

"Screw off, man." Ed started, huffing. "Let's just look, okay?"

"There's nothing to look for here, if you haven't noticed!" Zack snapped, waving his hand in the direction of the graves. "This is all there is! Graves!"

"There's gotta be more than just graves! You just have to look!" Ed could feel a headache starting to form, a dull thumping in his mind. He pushed pass the killer and approached the grave stones, stopping in front of one and kneeling to search.

"You look like an idiot." Zack sneered, watching as Ed brushed aside debris and looked all over the stone. Ed ignored him, brushing some dirt away, and he paused as his hand ran over the writing carved into the stone, taking a moment to read the name.

_Nina Weber_

His eyes softened. He knew this was a completely different woman, but memories invaded his mind like a flood. Memories of a blue eyed, brown haired child and her favourite pet dog. Her voice echoed in his head, clear as day as if he only saw her just yesterday.

_"Big brother!"_

_"Big brother Ed, let's play!"_

Her voice warbled, changing distorting to a voice unlike her own.

_"Ed...ward... Let's... play..."_

"Oi, you listening to me?" Zack's voice broke him out of his trance, and Ed shook his head, ridding himself of the thoughts.

"Uh, sorry, what?" Ed looked up, seeing Zack looming over him from behind the grave stone, and he looked disgruntled.

"I said, what're you lookin' at?" He asked, clearly annoyed at repeating himself.

"Just... Her name." Ed answered simply, looking away to stare back at the stone. He felt sorrow and sympathy for her.

"Who's name?"

"Hers. The woman who died here."

"What's so special about it? She's dead." Ed turned to look at him, his eyebrows furrowed.

"You're joking, right?" Ed asked in disbelief, and felt a bit of shock at how quickly Zack dismissed him.

"Nope. I don't get why you're putting up so much of a fuss about the dead, anyways. They're fuckin' dead." Zack said, staring down at Ed as he slipped a hand into his pocket. He looked utterly uninterested.

"They were people." Ed spoke, and that seemed to catch Zack's attention, so he continued. "Like this girl, Nina... She was alive once. She had a life. A family. Probably a significant other." He turned his gaze back onto the stone, staring at her name. "I don't know whether she enjoyed her life or if it was filled with heartbreak. But she was alive. She was someone who once walked her. It's...a shame that she had to go this way. She could have done great things."

"You don't even know her." Zack was staring at Ed as if he'd grown another head. "How do you know she would have done something good?"

"I don't." Ed said simply, and he looked up at Zack once more. "But I think anyone has the potential to do something good."

Zack stayed silent, seemingly too stunned to speak.

Sensing the air turn awkward, Ed stood, dusting himself off. "You know what? I'm gonna go looking elsewhere. I think there was another hallway, so maybe there's something there." He said, turning away, and he heard Zack splutter behind him.

"You're leaving me alone, now?! Gonna run away?!" He snapped, and Ed snorted.

"No! Just look for the switch, dumbass." Ed replied, walking towards the exit, and he ignored the expletives Zack hurled at him as he left.

Ed made his way across the first graveyard room, finding another door, and he blinked, staring at the plaque left beside the door.

Morgue.

"Well, isn't that pleasant." Ed muttered, opening the door to the morgue, and he shivered at the cold air that blew over him. "Ack- This place is even colder than the rest of the floor!" He whined, stepping foot into the room and rubbing his arms. He definitely wasn't going to spend too much time in here.

There was only a few cold chambers in the room, suggesting that this place doesn't see a large group of corpses very often, with two coffins beside one set of chambers. )n the far wall there was a bridge over a small pool of water, that strangely enough, only lead to a wall. He frowned at the strange sight, and approached it. As he came closer to the wall, he saw that it looked rather new, and he ran his hand over the bricks, his eyes trailing over the surface.

"Aha." He murmured, kneeling down and grazing his fingers over some markings at the edges. Alchemy. "Someone was certainly hasty with this."

Ed's eyes turned up at the wall, staring. The alchemist who did this certainly didn't want people to get into whatever was on the other side. If he could still do alchemy himself, he would have opened up the wall by now. He sighed softly. He stood, taking a step back to examine the rest of the room, when he spotted some papers sticking out of one of the chambers. He approached, cautiously checked for a body, and upon finding none, retrieved the papers. He blinked, taking in the odd circles and scribbles that lined the paper.

"Are these transmutation circles?" He mused quietly, gazing at the odd usage of symbols used to make it. It looked Amestrian, but there was a foreign element to it that he couldn't place. "What sort of alchemy is this?"

A sudden noise echoed through the halls outside of the room, drawing his attention as he looked up, confused. He couldn't place what the noise was at all, but he did hear Zack's laughter, and knew it couldn't be good. He folded up the papers nicely, and slipped them into the inner pocket of his vest, reminding himself to examine them further later.

* * *

 

Rachel found herself walking for a little while before she finally emerged into a room.

The room was filled to the brim with the materials to make grave stones as well as shovels, dirt, and other digging equipment. A table stood in the center of the room, papers scattered over it, and from what she could see, they looked to be designs for future graves. A shovel sat next to the table, propped up by a bag of dirt. On the other side of the room, there was a door.

Rachel tentatively approached, her gaze falling onto the sheets of paper, and she tilted her head. One of them looked odd, showing rows of circles settled into a box, and one of the circles in the second row from the top had an x on it.

"What is... Is this suppose to be the graves out there?" She mumbled, staring blankly at it as she picked up the sheet in question. Her finger traced over it, recognizing the box as the shape of the room, and from there it wasn't hard to put two and two together. "That must mean this grave has the switch."

Just then, she paused as the sound of stone breaking echoed through the walls, and Zack seemed to howl with laughter in the distance. She frowned.

_"Hah! Onto the next one, bitches!"_

"Annoying..." She murmured, shaking her head.

_Click._

Rachel blinked, turning her attention to the door. _He did it?_ She approached, carefully pushing it open, and she paused at the darkness that loomed further on. There were no traces of lights in the hallway.

"Won't do..." She mused, and she turned her gaze to search the room, spotting some cabinets near the door. She approached one, moving aside some papers with circles scribbled on it, and picked up a flashlight. Turning it on, she was pleased to see it worked, and ventured further.

This hallway seemed even longer, the dark almost suffocating, but she paid it no mind. Until her flashlight flickered.

"Heheheh!"

She paused, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up.

Was someone... there?

Brushing it off and making sure her flashlight was working properly, she continued forward, quickening her pace only slightly and pushing the door open once she found it.

This new room, she noticed, seemed to be an archive room. Shining her flashlight around to examine her surroundings, she saw tall shelves lined with books, and papers littered the floor. A large book rested on the table, and she felt drawn to it specifically when her eyes settled on it.

Rachel approached the table and opened the book, curious of the contents. She felt the slightest sense of surprise rise up within her.

"Records?" She murmured, brows furrowed as she flipped through them. She saw many names and pictures, and the details written on each page described the person, as well as their deaths.

"So many people... Hm?" She paused as a few sheets fell out from the book, and she picked them up, the light settling on the papers and her her eyes widening a fraction upon seeing her own face staring back at her on the corner of the page.

"It's... me..." She mumbled, her eyes skimming over the sheet. _My age... my birthday... it even has what my home life was like..._

She shifted the pages, bringing the second one to the front.

"Isaac... Foster?" She murmured, her eyes trailing from the name to the picture. Zack.

_So this is him..._

Finally, she turned her attention to the third one, and became confused.

In the corner, a picture of Ed. His name printed clearly as well as his age, but his birthday and personal history were written off as "confidential."

_Does the resident of this floor not have access to Ed's information? Why is it only Ed?_

The light from her flashlight flashed once again, startling her, and she stared at it. It flicked once more, before staying on, and she sighed in relief. "I should look around some more..." She murmured, moving her flashlight away from the pages, and she folded them to slide into her purse.

She moved away from the table, reaching the far side of the room where she found a small hallway. Venturing through it, she found a door when she reached the end, and in front of the door laid a switch she could step on. She eyed it curiously, stepping on it, and she heard a click. Looking up at the door, she tried to the handle, and frowned upon finding it locked.

_This means there's another switch? But where... wait._

An image of the bubbling water appeared within her mind.

_That may be it. I should head back._

Determined, Rachel turned back, re-entering the archive room and making her way to the exit. She didn't even make it two steps into the hallway before she heard a noise.

"Who's there?" She called out, turning to gaze behind her into the darkness. She could sense a presence somewhere, but couldn't place where, only feeling eyes watching her every move.

"Um..." A voice spoke, sounding incredibly young, and she took a step back. They sounded close.

"I know what you desire." The voice continued, and she thought it could be a young boy speaking to her. "I like you, so I'll make you lovely."

She thought the voice was coming from the room she just left, but now she couldn't tell. It sounded like it was all around her, and she turned every which way, her flash light illuminating the walls.

"After all," The voice this time sounded like it was in her ear. "This is my domain." A giggle followed the whisper.

Rachel spun around, staring at the space directly behind her, and only saw empty air.

"...This floor's-?"

She heard a distant thump, followed by Zack's aggravated voice, but she couldn't quite make out what he said clearly. Shaking her head, she noticed the presence was gone, so she turned, leaving the dark and entering the light of the first room. She turned the flashlight off, closed the door behind her and quickly left the equipment room. As she approached the crack in the wall, she could hear Ed's shouting and frowned. Did something happen?

As she stepped out of the hole in the wall, she stopped dead in her tracks.

All of the graves but her own were utterly destroyed, and Zack sat on the floor, rubbing his head as Ed appeared to chew him out. Both looked utterly pissed, and Rachel let her brows furrow.

"...What on earth..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter that wasn't so action packed, but I wanted to use this as a chance to introduce some things and p l o t. Sorry if it was a little dull!
> 
> I'm really having fun with Ed thrown into this because he's so different from Zack and Ray, which is why I thought this would be an interesting crossover in the first place. He balances out the group physically and mentally(While Zack is the brawns and Ray is the brains, Ed is a good balance of both), and for any readers who don't know FMA, he just has this HUGE thing against murder and killing innocent life. It's such a big thing to him that even in situations where it would be easier to kill his opponent, he doesn't, because he values human life just that much.
> 
> I think he could be a good influence for Ray and Zack, don't you? Haha!
> 
> Please review! I love reading what you have to say. And happy 10th anniversary, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ed and Zack just can't seem to see eye to eye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!! Just wanted to say real fast that I noticed I forgot an important detail in the previous chapter, so I've updated it quickly. It was when Rachel finds out about the switch mechanism for the door. Sorry about that!

**_Chapter 10_ **

Ed couldn't believe his eyes.

Stepping into the graveyard room, his jaw dropped, eyes widening to the size of saucers, as Zack laughed maniacally. The gravestones were shattered, every last one of them- except for Rachel's, oddly enough- and the debris littered the floor. Zack had his back to Ed, unaware of his return, and continued to laugh, a pickaxe settled on his shoulder. Ed clenched his jaw, gritting his teeth, and his hands coiled up into fists. His blood boiled as anger welled up in his chest.

He didn't even register when his feet began to move, and Zack only seemed to notice his presence when Ed was upon him, turning at the last second and receiving a punch to the jaw. Zack grunted, toppling over to the floor, and he held his cheek as Ed loomed over him. Zack looked up at him, mouth open to shout, but his words seemed to die in his throat as he hesitated.

"What the hell did you do?!" Ed demanded, rage swirling in his golden irises.

"I was lettin' off some steam!" Zack retorted, and grunted as Ed bonked him roughly on the head.

"You fucking idiot!! How could you do something so disrespectful?!" Ed berated him, swinging his arms out to gesture to what little remained of the gravestones around them. rubbing his head, Zack took a second to inspect them, his eyes trailing over what was still standing to what was on the floor, and he let his gaze travel back up to Ed's eyes.

"They're just graves." He reiterated, scowling up at him, and Ed swore never felt the urge to strangle someone more than right now.

"They're not just graves!!" Ed yelled, his hands balled into fists, and he was going to continue when he heard a noise.

"...What on earth..." He turned his head, spotting Rachel as she entered through the hole in the wall. She walked around her gravestone, settling her hand on it as she stared. "...What happened here?" She asked.

Ed turned his head away, shoulders shaking and hair obscuring his face. He clenched his teeth together, unwilling to speak in fear he'd snap at her.

"Nothing." Zack spoke for him, causing Ed to seethe. Glancing down at the rubble, Ed's eyes caught sight of a certain piece of stone a bit bigger than the rest, broken cleanly in two, and splitting up the name, _Nina_. His shoulders slumped and he felt sorrow replace the anger he felt, turning his body and kneeling down. He ran his hand over the name forlornly.

"What did you find?" He heard Zack ask, glancing over to see the man dusting his pants off as he stood. He narrowed his eyes at him, averting his gaze, and he stood.

"Some papers." Rachel answered, digging them out of her purse. Unfolding them and smoothing out the creases, she continued. "They're about us."

"Oh?" Zack hummed, but he seemed uninterested overall. Ed, on the other hand, grew curious and approached. He kept his distance from Zack, and focused on Rachel to avoid letting his temper flare.

Rachel shuffled the papers, nodding. "Yep. One for each of us." She lifted her gaze, eyeing Ed, and he couldn't help but feel she was suspicious of him somehow. "Ed, yours is blank." She informed him, and he grew surprised.

"Wait, really? Let me see." Holding the paper out for him to take, Ed received his record from Rachel, turning it over, and he couldn't help his confusion that grew. It was clearly him in the picture- though he noticed he didn't remember ever taking this particular picture, which creeped him out- and it had his full name printed clearly, but everything else about him was labelled "confidential". In utter disbelief, Ed turned the page around to look at the back, finding it completely blank.

_What the hell?_

"Why is mine blank? Is yours the same?" Ed asked, looking up at Rachel, and she shook her head.

"No. Mine is filled out." She answered, holding her sheet up for Ed and Zack to see.

They both gazed at it, before Zack scoffed, looking away. "So what? It's just a sheet of paper with some words about us. Who cares what it says?" He asked, and Ed ignored him, letting his eyes run over the first few lines. He paused, feeling as if the air was caught in his throat, his eyes widening by a fraction. His body froze to the spot, his eyes glued to the sheet.

Rachel and Zack seemed to notice his tense form, and watched him, perplexed. "Ed?" Rachel asked, but he didn't hear her. His eyes ran over the lines again, and again, hoping, praying to God or Truth that he was reading them wrong. But he wasn't.

_Name: Rachel Gardner_

_Age: 13_

_Birth date: June 10th, 2005_

"Is that... is that the correct date?" Ed asked, his mind reeling.

_It can't be. If she was born in 2005, then that would mean it's 2018. It can't be 2018, it's impossible-_

"My birthday?" She asked, her face only slightly scrunching up in confusion. "Um... yes, it's correct. Why?"

_WHAT THE FUCK._

Ed could only stare, and he backed away a bit, staring at her, at Zack, at their surroundings. His mind felt like it was about to break, his ability to process things shutting down, and he was starting to feel lightheaded.

"How...?" He managed to get out, the words dying on his tongue.

_How did I jump a whole 100 years into the future?_

"Oi, are you fuckin' okay?" Zack asked, his voice breaking through his thoughts and bringing him back. Ed stared at Zack, who looked annoyed and confused, and his eyes moved to Rachel, who despite looked as dead as before, was showing signs of concern as she regarded him.

"...I-" He began, but stopped himself, looking away. He gripped his fists, lowering his head as he internally fought with himself.

_What do I do? Do I tell them?_

**_No way! They won't understand; they'll think you're insane!_ **

_But if I don't tell them, they'll think something is up!_

**_Then lie! It's not like you haven't lied before!_ **

"...I'm fine." He answered finally, looking up at the duo. He felt obvious in his little lie, but he couldn't let them know. He smiled, albeit shakily, and he repeated himself, "I'm fine. It's nothing."

_I'll tell them eventually... Maybe._

Ed chose to ignore the particularly dirty look Zack sent his way, focusing mostly on Rachel, who seemed unconvinced. "Are you sure you're okay, Ed?" She asked.

Ed nodded, avoiding his gaze from Zack, who's glare got harsher. "Yeah. I'm okay."

He didn't understand the look Zack was giving him. Did he know he was lying?

Ed ignored his worries, instead clearing his throat and turning the attention away from him. "The last record?"

"Ah, right. This one is about a guy named Isaac." Rachel said slowly, her gaze staying on Ed for a moment, before she shifted the papers. "Zack, this is you, right?" She asked, holding the sheet up to Zack for him to see, but he ignored it, staring Ed down intensely. Ed felt a slight chill travel up his spine.

Rachel, seeing as Zack wasn't going to look at it, turned it to her, and began reading. "'Isaac Foster. Estimated to be 20. Birth date unknown. In childhood, there is evidence that he was placed in an orphanage. The institution was unauthorized, therefore details surrounding it are unknown. Possible trafficking. The institution was later charged for substandard living conditions, but Isaac Foster was already missing by then."

Ed frowned, glancing towards Zack and catching his gaze. The two stared at each other in silence, Ed feeling a twinge of sympathy in his chest, while Zack remained unreadable.

Rachel continued. "'Concurrently, the bones of several children were found in the institution's yard. Moreover, also found is what is believed to be the slaughtered bodies of the proprietors. There is a large gap between the time of death for the slaughtered children and proprietors. Based on the slash wounds on the bodies inside the institution, the suspect is believed to be Isaac Foster. The whereabouts of Isaac Foster are currently unknown. However, he is involved-'"

"How does reading that make you feel?"

Rachel paused in her reading as Zack finally broke eye contact with Ed, turning his gaze on her, and she slowly looked up at him. Before anyone could blink, the blade of Zack's scythe was under Rachel's chin, threatening to press into her neck, and Ed felt his heart lurch. His eyes widened, his jaw clenching, and his body tensed. Rachel didn't flinch.

"Isaac Foster... is me." Zack spoke lowly, his face cast in shadows. Rachel stared him down, and he gripped his weapon a bit at her complete lack of reaction. "Well? What do you think?"

_I'll show you what I think-_ Ed thought, ready to deck Zack once again, but he paused upon seeing Rachel subtly raise a hand to stop him.

"...It's just a sheet of paper with some words about us." She said, repeating his own words and surprising Ed with how calm she was handling the situation. "It's nothing more than that."

Zack raised the blade to tip her chin up. "You're not afraid of me?" He asked, watching her carefully as she shook her head. He smirked, and it only widened when Ed finally stepped forward, grabbing Rachel's arm and pulling her back slightly from the weapon. "I once knew someone else who said they weren't afraid of me..."

"Oh, yeah?" Ed asked, regarding Zack with caution.

"Yeah." Zack replied, looking at Ed now as he continued. "The bitch was going on and on about how she 'wasn't afraid,' and was 'such a fan' of me, and how she just wanted a chance to meet me."

Ed grimaced, the image of a woman hitting on the serial killer before him forcing itself into his head. "Gross."

"What happened next?" Rachel asked, and Ed thought for a second she may have been interested, but it was hard to tell with her lack of tone.

Zack grinned. "It amused me so much I gave her five seconds to run instead of three. 'Course, she didn't get far." Ed felt like Zack's attention was solely on him now, and he didn't like it. "When I caught her, she was crying about how she didn't wanna die. I said, 'I thought you weren't afraid' and you know what she said to me?"

"...What?" Ed asked, not liking the creeping unease settling on his shoulders.

Zack kept his gaze on Ed's eyes, the intensity of his stare only growing. "'I lied.'" He growled out, and Ed suppressed a chill from running through him. "I _hate_ liars. So I killed her."

The air felt stifling, and Ed was sure that any second now, Zack would try and strangle him again. He felt caught- he knew his lie wasn't the most convincing, but he thought he could at least make it for a while without being confronted.

_I shouldn't have lied._

"...Okay, and?" Rachel spoke up, and both Zack and Ed looked at her in confusion.

"Heh?"

"The story, does it have anything to do with me? Will you kill me if I run away from you?" She asked, and Ed bristled.

"Rachel!" He scolded her. "You're not going to die."

She looked at him. "But-"

"No buts! I'll be damned if I let you die on my watch." He said stubbornly, placing his hand on her hair and ruffling it up. She pouted a bit in response, and Ed heard Zack mumbling to himself about how he forgot Rachel wanted to die, and let himself breathe out a small sigh.

_That story didn't have anything to do with you, Rachel, but I'm pretty sure it had everything to do with me._

"There wasn't anything else, was there?" Zack asked, annoyed as he rested his scythe against his shoulder. Ed felt relieved that he decided to drop the whole thing, and he let go of Rachel's arm.

"Yes." Rachel said, looking towards Zack. "There's a door that I can't get through that needs to get activated by a switch, and I have a sneaking suspicion I know where it is. We have to go back to where we started on this floor, though."

Ed smiled, impressed by her work. "That's great. Anything else?" He asked.

Rachel paused for a moment. "...I heard a voice."

Ed's smile faded, and Zack looked at her. "What?" Ed and Zack spoke in unison, and Ed ignored the scowl Zack sent him.

"They said... They said that this floor was their domain." Rachel continued. "And that they know what I desire."

Zack frowned, narrowing his eyes. "...Is that so?" He asked, stepping away. Ed, meanwhile, raised his guard, glancing towards the hole in the wall. He had completely forgotten that each floor was suppose to have a resident. They could be anywhere- hell, they could be watching them right now.

He heard the sound of metal hitting the floor, and he turned, perplexed at the sight of Zack lifting the pickaxe. "Wait, what are you doing?"

"I'm gonna destroy the grave." Zack said, approaching Rachel's grave. Rachel's and Ed's eyes widened.

"What?" She asked quietly, before speaking up louder, taking a step forward. "You can't-"

"Yes, I can." Zack retorted, swinging the pickaxe down on the gravestone with all his might. "Your grave isn't here!"

With a loud clash, the pickaxe split the elegant stone in half, sending the top half tumbling to the floor. Rachel stared in dismay at the ruined monument, and Zack tossed the pickaxe to the floor, discarding it and picking up his scythe once more.

"Why... would you..." Rachel spoke up quietly, and Zack scoffed.

"What did I say?" He asked, and Rachel turned to look at him slowly. "Your grave isn't here. Just forget about the stupid thing." Zack scolded, looking away, and he made his way for the exit. "Let's go."

Rachel stood there, looking at her broken grave, and Ed frowned softly, approaching her. He laid a hand on her shoulder. "Rachel?" He asked, and retracted his hand when she shrugged him off. She silently trudged off after Zack, head bowed, and Ed rubbed the back of his head, watching her. He turned his gaze to her grave, eyeing the piece that had her name engraved. His mind wandered, going through everything that had just transpired, and he couldn't help but bring one worrying piece of information to the forefront of his memories.

_"I **hate** liars."_

_God... Al, you wouldn't believe the mess I got myself in this time._

"Hey, pipsqueak! Hurry up! We don't have all day!" Zack shouted at him from the doorway, shaking Ed from his thoughts, and Ed quickly turned, following after the duo as they left the graveyard room.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is again, not action packed and dialogue heavy. I like writing their interactions, but please forgive me if some of this is too boring. I also was really excited to get out the whole year plot point! I wonder what happened to Ed? Haha!
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and please review!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ed and Zack spend more time together by themselves, which unfortunately doesn't quite go that smoothly. Ed wishes he was home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm really sorry that an update took this long. College was getting very hard towards the end of the year and I currently have some personal family issues, but I'm going to resume writing this over the summer as way to cheer me up.
> 
> A part of this chapter was written back in May ^^; Really shows how swamped I've been. I hope you'll enjoy this regardless. Also, please read the note at the end.

Ed stayed quiet as he followed Rachel and Zack back to the elevator room, unwilling to break the silence that had settled. Rachel still seemed somewhat upset about her broken grave, Ed noticed, watching as she dragged her feet behind her slightly. Ahead of both of them, Zack kept the lead, marching forward with purpose, and no matter how hard Ed tried, he couldn't shake the memory of that intense gaze piercing through him. He hunched his shoulders up, watching the duo.

He made a rather poor choice choosing to hide his newest revelation and he knew it. To make matters worse, Ed was sure Zack was just waiting for the opportunity for Ed to confess his lie, or even just have it exposed, and then he'd make short work of cutting Ed to pieces. Shuddering, his mind drifted away from the horrid thoughts of Zack butchering him, and towards the apparent _time traveling_ he had done.

Ed, for the life of him, couldn't fathom how it happened- let alone why. He stared at his feet as he forced his brain to work, to give him any bit of an idea for how it could have happened. He slowed his pace, closing his eyes and his brows furrowing.

"Ed?" Rachel's voice called out to him, making him open his eyes and look up. She was staring back at him, waiting as Zack continued on ahead. "Keep up."

"...Right." Ed moved forward, walking beside her, and he stared ahead, seeing that Zack was a few feet ahead.

"You don't have to tell us what's bothering you." Ed blinked, and he turned his head to stare at Rachel, confused.

"Huh?" Rachel looked up at him.

"I know you lied earlier-"

_Okay, I know it was a bad lie, no need to rub it in._

"-but it's okay. If you're not ready to talk now, then you don't have to tell us." She said, before adding, "Although, I don't think you should keep us in the dark, either. So when you're ready, we'll- well, I'll listen." She looked at Zack. "I don't know about him."

Ed remained silent, thinking over her words as he also turned his attention to Zack. The light glinted off the dark metal of the scythe, sending an uneasy tingle down his spine. He wasn't sure Zack would let him even speak if he found out he lied, but her words did give him a bit of a peace of mind.

"...Thanks, Rachel." He whispered. She didn't reply, only staring forward and letting the silence settle over them. He cleared his throat lightly.  "And, sorry about,  uh... the grave." He stated awkwardly. Ed knew it was messed up for her to be upset over her own grave being destroyed, but he couldn't deny it did seem to upset her greatly, and he just wanted her to cheer up- if only just a little bit. 

"It's okay." She replied. "It's not your fault."

The trio shortly arrived at the first room, and Zack stalked forward, walking up to the elevator with Rachel and Ed trailing behind, and he let out a growl. He spun, turning to glare down at Rachel. "Okay, why the hell did we have to come all the way back here?!" He snapped.

Wordlessly, Rachel lifted her hand and pointed off towards the bubbles. Ed glanced at them in surprise, then realized as it clicked in his head.

"Oh, that's what you think will help you get through?" He asked, looking at Rachel.

She nodded. "Yes. I think it's probably a button."

"Great!" Zack said loudly. "Who's going to check it out?"

Rachel turned her head to look at him, an expectant look in her dead eyes. Zack bristled.

"Oh, no, no, no, no way am I going in there! It looks fuckin' cold!!" He snapped, then pointedly towards Ed behind her. "Make him do it!"

Ed jolted a bit, blinking, and when Rachel looked at him, he paused to stare back. He looked at the water, then glanced down at his left leg in thought.

He could go in, in fact he just might if Zack complained more, but he wouldn't really want to. He had Winry upgrade his automail not long before he last left Resembool, creating a blend of her famous steel and the carbon used in the north, that made it easier to move and packed a bit more of a punch. One of the drawbacks he remembered his mechanic telling him, was that it was easier to cause rust if water got in under the plating, but that could be avoided if he had time to properly dry his automail and wipe everything down- which he couldn't quite do in a place like this.

Another glance at the water, and he felt a bit uneasy. He couldn't see the bottom through the icy water and therefore couldn't tell how deep it was, and as he reminded himself, it had been a very, very long time since he last went swimming- the last time being before the _incident._  He knew he would be like an anchor sinking under ever since he gained the automail.

"Zack should do it." Ed finally said, and Zack clearly didn't like that.

"Why me?! Why can't it be you, pipsqueak?" He stomped forward, pushing Rachel out of his way and towering over Ed. Ed took a step back, but hardened his gaze, feeling a vein pulse in his forehead.

"Because I don't want to, asshole!" He steeled himself and pushed his hands forward, shoving Zack back. Zack was stunned for only a moment, regaining his footing, and he scowled, squinting.

"Bullshit, why won't you do it?" Zack asked, staring at him, before his eyes widened a bit. He seemed to have a spark of realization. "Oh...you don't know how to swim?"

"What?" Ed asked incredulously. "No! I know how to swim!"

_I'm probably rusty, and more prone to sinking, but I know how to swim, God damnit-_

Zack laughed, throwing his head back and grabbing his belly, and Ed growled at him. "I can't believe you don't know how to swim!" Ed clenched his fists.

"Can we not do this now?" Rachel asked quietly, sounding exasperated, but Ed ignored her. He walked past her, ignoring her hand reaching out to stop him, and with a hard shove, Zack found himself tumbling into the water face first.

He went under with a large splash, sending rivulets of water onto the walkway they stood on, and Rachel jumped back to avoid getting hit with water. Ed felt some droplets land on his cheek, and he wiped them away, watching as Zack surfaced, coughing and hacking. Ed felt a small smirk spread across his face as Zack rubbed at his eyes to get the water out.

"You piece of shit!" Zack whipped around, glaring heatedly at Ed. His bandages have soaked up quite a bit of water, and some of them around his face had begun to droop. The water, he saw, only came up to Zack's abdomen as well, which wasn't that bad. He also noticed that Zack was shivering slightly, and felt some regret- he knew the water would be cold, but he didn't think about how cold it would be, but that feeling was replaced by the satisfaction of making s fool out of him. Zack surged forward, attempting to grab Ed and pull into the water, but he was too quick, moving away from him. Zack then began picking himself out of the water, when Rachel stopped him.

"Wait, you have to stay in the water." Rachel said, not flinching when Zack swung his heated stare on her.

"No way! It's fucking freezing in here!" He shouted in protest.  
  
"You don't have to stay in there long." She reasoned. "Just long enough for me to reach the locked door on the other side of the wall."

 Zack, gritting his teeth, leveled a heated glare at Ed before he relented. He sunk back into the water, stepping away with a huff.

"Fine, you damn brats- I'll do it." He said bitterly, turning his back on the duo and trudging through the water.

"Thank you." Rachel said, and Zack ignored her, muttering incoherently under his breath. Rachel, shaking her head, turned to look at Ed. "Could you stay here with him?" She asked.

Ed started, his eyes widening a bit. "What?" Zack also stopped, listening.

"Just until I get back." She insisted. "I shouldn't be long."

Ed bit the inside of his lip, uncertain. His eyes trailed over to Zack, and he caught him watching him intently over his shoulder.

He didn't want to be alone with him, but there wasn't much else he could do...

"Sure." Ed said, looking back down at Rachel. "I'll stay with him." He even smiled at her, more so to save face in front of Zack and to hide his unease.

Surprisingly, Rachel returned his smile with a small one of her own, making him feel better. She almost looked like how she did before Daniel's floor- with the exception of her dead eyes. No, her eyes kind of ruined the smile, but Ed appreciated it regardless. He felt himself relax, and he returned her smile more naturally.

Rachel walked past him, and Ed watched her as she made her way out of the room, disappearing from sight.

"You little shit." Ed heard Zack hiss behind him, and he turned in time to see Zack making his way back over, a scowl on his face. The soaking wet bandages have drooped further, exposing some of his face, and Ed caught sight of scars as he backpedaled out of his reach.

"Hey now, stay in the water!" Ed shouted as Zack set the scythe down on the walkway, planting his hands on the edge.

"No! Switch spots with me, pipsqueak! It's fuckin' freezing in here!" He retorted angrily, and he lunged forward, grabbing Edward by his left ankle with a sopping wet, bandaged hand, and he gave a harsh tug.

He hardly moved.

Zack blinked a few, staring. He gave another tug, only managing to move the leg forward a bit more. Ed watched in amusement as the gears in Zack's head began to turn, and he grunted when Zack gave a harder tug, making Ed stumble.

"Okay, stop it!" Ed moved his foot back and out Zack's grip, and Zack stared at the leg in question. He then reached out, grabbing Ed's right ankle and tugging on it- Ed stumbled forward a lot easier, and something seemed to click in Zack's mind as Ed stepped away.

Finally, Zack snapped in frustration. "What the hell is up with your leg, man?" He asked, looking up at Ed. He looked annoyed, confused, and curious all at the same time, as if he couldn't figure out what he wanted to be more.

Ed chuckled a little, a bit amused at the situation at hand, and ignored Zack's pointed glare as he shook his head. He supposed they would have found out about his leg eventually, but he didn't think Zack would be the first see it.

"What's so funny?" Zack growled out, barring his teeth.

"If you want to see, then shut up." Ed said bluntly, sitting down in front of Zack. Displeased, Zack did as Ed said, and watched quietly as Ed removed his shoe, revealing his metal foot for the dim light to reflect off of, and for good measure he rolled up his pant leg to above the knee, showing the port and the ugly scars that mar the flesh where metal meets skin. "When I was young, I lost my real leg in a... an accident." He rubbed the back of his neck, thinking over his words carefully so he wouldn't lie to Zack, but wouldn't spill the whole truth.

He didn't need to know about _that._

"Luckily, a family friend runs an automail business, so they set me up pretty good. This is also why I didn't want to get in the water." He finished, and he looked towards Zack for his reaction.

Zack's eyes had widened considerably and he appeared to be holding his breath. Ed smiled in amusement as Zack's attention was entirely focused on his metal prosthetic. Ed watched him, taking in some more features as the killer was currently preoccupied.

Zack was brown skinned- possibly Ishvalan in descent, if Ed had to guess. What appeared to be burn scars were scattered around his face, and from what he could see from the bandages dropped around his neck, the damage went beyond his face. He frowned a bit. Zack looked incredibly young. And without the bandages, he wasn't quite as menacing. It was quite the contrary- he watched as Zack reach out and run his hand over the cool metal of his leg, expression akin to a kid on Christmas day.

_Estimated to be 20..._

Ed's gaze softened. Zack was possibly the same age, if not a bit older than himself, yet he clearly has had it rough. The proof was right in front of him and all over that paper Rachel had found. It was really just starting to set in, the realization of what kind of person is in front of him. He found himself feeling empathy for Zack, almost.

_A broken child who grew into a broken man._

Zack finally looked up from Ed's leg, clearly going to speak, but he stopped short when his eyes settled on Ed's face. He recoiled almost immediately, and Ed blinked, breaking out of his train of thought.

"What kind of fuckin' look is that?" Zack asked, almost disturbed, and Ed furrowed his brows at him.

"What?" He asked, and Zack clenched his fists, angry.

"Don't look at me like that again, or I'll kill you, got it, pipsqueak?" He threatened, turning away and storming off towards the bubbling in the water. Perplexed, Ed just sat there dumbly, staring at Zack's back. He couldn't even be mad at the insult- he was just confused.

Zack stopped as they both suddenly heard a loud **_thunk_** , and Zack looked down. "Got it." He grumbled, stepping away, when a locking sound rang out. He raised a brow, and stepped back onto the switch. _**Thunk.**_

Ed spoke up quickly. "Don't move from there!" He said, putting his shoe back on and rolling his pant leg back down. Zack whipped around.

"Don't tell me what to do!" He shouted.

Ed glared, moving to stand up. "Just stay right there! It's obvious that the switch needs to stay pressed for it to work!"

Zack's shoulders hunched up. "It's fuckin' freezing in here! How long do I have to stay here?" He complained, gritting his teeth.

"Do you want me to go check on Rachel?" Ed asked, heaving a sigh and feeling his anger rising.

"I want to get out of the water!"

"Well, you can't!"

Zack groaned, turning his back to Ed. "Just get out of my fuckin' face, pipsqueak! I can't stand lookin' at you." He snapped, picking at the wet bandages his hands were wrapped in.

Exasperated and utterly done with Zack, Ed spun on his heels. "Fine! But don't move from there!" He spit out, storming off down the walkway and leaving Zack along in the entrance room. His fists shook as he made his way back to the ruined graveyard room, alone with his thoughts. He wanted Zack to just stop fighting with him and threatening him, and if it continued, Ed was going to lose it. He didn't even know what set Zack off, this time.

He turned his gaze upward, staring into the shadows of the ceiling.

"God, what I wouldn't give to just be home with Al..."

* * *

The sun shined down warmly as Alphonse walked the dirt path up to the Rockbell's home.

A smile was set on his face, his short golden hair glowing in the sunlight. Alphonse closed his eyes, smiling at the heat, and he gripped the handle of his brief case, walking with a skip in his step. Behind him, the chimeras Jerso and Zampano carried his heavier bags- while Alphonse was certainly stronger now, they did find themselves taking a little precaution against pushing him.

"Man, it's been a while since we were here." Jerso commented, a smile on his face. "It'll be nice to see Winry and Ed again."

Beside him, the taller man groaned. "I can't wait to sit down and relax a bit. That desert is not an easy trek." Zampano replied, holding a handkerchief in his free hand and wiping the sweat off his forehead.

Jerso jabbed him with his elbow, shifting his grip on Al's luggage. "You just spent the last few hours relaxing on the train, dumbass!"

Zampano made a noise of indignation. "I almost had a heat stroke!"

Al opened his eyes, staring up into the sky. He ignored their bickering in favor of relishing of the sensation of the sun warming his skin, and the feeling of the wind rushing over him to cool him down. It had been just about two years since he regained his body, and ever since that day, he cherished the ability to touch and feel his surroundings. It was something he dearly missed, and never wanted to lose ever again.

He wouldn't have been able to do it without his brother. Al let his smile grow. "I can't wait to see how Ed's been. It feels like it's been forever since I last saw him."

The last time time Al had seen Ed, they were saying their goodbyes to each other at the Resembool station, before Al boarded the train with Jerso and Zampano to get to the border of Amestris and the Xerxian Desert. From there, they began their long trek to Xing, braving the perilous heat. From his arrival in Xing, he heard that Ed traveled west shortly after, and busied himself with venturing into the lands bordering Amestris on that side of the country, intent on learning as much as they can on Alchemy in other nations. On Al's side, it had gone rather well; he was learning more about the Xingese form of Alchemy, Alkahestry, the longer he had stayed, and he was excited to finally show his older brother all he learned in their time apart.

"You've been talking to him, though, right Al?" Jerso asked, looking at him curiously, and Alphonse nodded.

"Yeah, we chatted for a bit on the phone a few days ago. He said he was almost to Central and would probably show up at Winry's before us." Al said cheerfully, looking up the path and already seeing the house on the hill. The old sign situated by the porch reading "ROCKBELL AUTOMAIL" looked as if it was recently repainted, and faithful old Den was lounging in the shade the house produced against the sun. She lifted her head, hearing their arrival, and at the sight of Alphonse her tail began to wag. She stood up, her one automail leg clacking against the ground, and she approached, panting in excitement.

Al knelt down, petting Den and scratching behind her ears. The dog loved it, licking Al's face, and he laughed.

"Hello Den! I missed you, too!" He said fondly, before standing, walking up to the porch and climbing up the steps. He could already see his brother at the dining room table, drinking some coffee- with no milk, of course -and Winry would probably be fixing up his automail after he wrecked it doing something stupid. Old Pinako would most likely be with Ed in the dining room, smoking her pipe and catching up with him. 

It felt great to be back.

He swung the door open, the chimera men right behind him, and he called out brightly,  "I'm home!"

Not long after his shout, a familiar head of straw blonde hair poked out of the kitchen,  and the smell of delicious apple pie wafted over him.

"Alphonse!" Winry smiled warmly,  walking out of the kitchen. She was wearing her baking apron and removing her oven mitts as she approached the trio. Al set the brief case down, and gave Winry a hug.

Winry laughed a bit as she returned the hug, ruffling his hair.  "Al, you keep getting taller! Your brother's not going to like that." She teased, to which Al just snorted.

"Probably not, knowing him." Al said, pulling back from Winry and stepping back for Jerso and Zampano, allowing them entry into the Rockbell home. They greeted her warmly, all smiles and handshakes, which she promptly returned. She then lead them into the kitchen with promises of apple pie, and Al laughed as the two men almost giddily followed after his friend.

From the living room, seated at the couch, granny Pinako called out. "It's nice to see you, Al. We certainly missed you around here." She said with a warm smile.  Before her on the coffee table,  the pieces of an automail arm laid strewn about, and in her hand, a screwdriver. 

Al beamed. "I missed you, too, granny." He said, before he paused, noticing the absence of one person in particular.

"Is Ed upstairs?" He asked, approaching the old woman. She paused, pushing her glasses up further on her little nose to look at him. 

"Ed? He hasn't showed up yet, Al." She answered.

Al stared, blinking. "What? He was supposed to show up before me."

She frowned, setting the screwdriver down. "Really now? Well, do you think his train was delayed?"

"He would have called to tell me, or called you two, if that was the case." Al answered, feeling a seed of worry take root in his chest. "He didn't call, did he?"

Granny shook her head, and Al's heart sank. "Only calls we've been receiving are from clients."

_Then... Where's my brother?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! It's been a while since I last focused on this fic, and I'm happy that I managed to make this my longest chapter yet! I'm hoping to start updating this more regularly- I don't want to make you guys wait a few months again.
> 
> I've started up a Tumblr so that I could talk with you guys more frequently! So if you have one, feel free to go follow me c: My Tumblr is https://piscesinadream.tumblr.com/
> 
> Also, please comment to tell me what you think! I appreciate the kudos a lot, but comments are really what make my day and inspire me to keep going!


	12. Not a New Chapter, but an Update

Hello! Pisces here.

I just wanted to let all of you know that I'm not abandoning this fic, and I'm terribly sorry for not updating in a long time. I've been busy and haven't had time to sit down and focus on this fic.

With that being said, I'm reviewing the older chapters and I'm going to start doing some editing and/or rewrites of them. I'm not sure how long that will take, but when I'm done I'll remove this chapter and replace it with the real Chapter 12.

This will be a great time to send in feedback for what you guys as readers would like to see done or even offer advice for how I could write better. I know I'm not the best writer out there, but I really want to improve and make this a great experience to read.

That's all I really have to say for now. Thank you so much for reading my fic, you have no idea how happy it makes me to know that there's people who enjoy what I write!

Thank you for your time!


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